Division  3  S  27/5 
Section    .   r 


THE 

PRACTICAL    COMMENTARY 

on    the 

New    Testament 

Edited    by 

"W.    Robertson    Nicoll 
M.A..  LL.D. 


The 

PRACTICAL 

COMMENTARY 
On  the   New  Testament 

Edited  by 
W.ROBERTSON  NICOLL,  LL.D.,  D.D. 

Editor  of  "The  Expositor's  Bible" 

Volume      I.  Colossians  and  Thessalonians, 

Joseph  Parker,  D.D. 
Volume    II.  Ephesians,  Joseph  Parker,  D.D. 

Volume  III.  Peter,  J.  H.  Jowett 

Volume  IV.  Mark,  G.  H.  Morrison 

Others  to  be  announced. 

These  volumes  are  the  first  to  be  announced  of  a 
great  new  undertaking  similar  to  the  universally 
known  Expositor's  Bible.  It  will  be  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  editor  of  that  great  work,  Dr.  W.  Robert- 
son Nicoll,  editor  of  the  British  Weekly,  and  its 
volumes  will  be  the  work  of  the  foremost  living  theo- 
logians. Thoroughly  alive  to  the  necessity  of  taking 
advantage  of  every  help  that  modern  scholarship 
offers,  this  commentary  will  at  the  same  time  retain 
a  healthy  conservatism  of  judgment,  and  its  field  of 
usefulness  will  therefore  be  as  large  as  its  great  fore- 
runner, "  The   Expositor's  Bible." 

Every  volume  of  this  set  will  be  printed  on  spe- 
cially made  paper,  handsomely  and  strongly  bound  in 
extra  cloth,  size  crown  octavo. 

Price  per  volume,  $1.25,  Net 


THE   EPISTLES    TO  THE 

COLOSSIANS  and 
THESSALONIANS 


/By 
JOSEPH  PARKER,  D.D. 


NEW  YORK 
A.  C.  ARMSTRONG  &  SON 

3  &  5  West  18tu  Street,  near  5th  Avenue 
1904 


Copyright,  1904, 
By  A.  C.  Armstrong  &  Son. 

Published  November,  1904. 


CONTENTS 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTION 3 


CHAPTER      I 95 


CHAPTER    H 50 


CHAPTER  HI 71 


CHAPTER  W 94 


vi  CONTENTS 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  PHILEMON 


PAGE 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  PHILEMON 107 


THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE 
THESSALONIANS 

INTRODUCTION .  123 

CHAPTER      I .  147 

CHAPTER    II 157 

CHAPTER  in  170 

CHAPTER  IV 178 

CHAPTER     V  ........  191 


CONTENTS  vii 

THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE 
THESSALONIANS 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTION     ........    233 


CHAPTER      I 249 


CHAPTER    II 269 


CHAPTER  HI  .  289 


THE    EPISTLE    TO    THE    COLOSSIANS 


INTRODUCTION 

TO  my  own  heart  Paul  is  always  at  his 
best.  Other  men  move  on  varying 
levels  and  are  the  subjects  or  the  victims 
of  whim  and  mood,  but  to  my  love  and  my 
soul's  hunger  Paul  is  always  the  faithful 
steward  and  generous  almoner  of  the  divine 
grace.  The  Pastoral  Epistles  are  catholic, 
and  the  Catholic  Epistles  are  pastoral;  the 
great  sermons  are  letters  to  the  heart,  and 
the  great  Epistles  are  clothed  with  all  the 
best  attributes  of  Gospel  preaching.  The 
unity  of  Paul's  mind  and  heart  may  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  proofs  of  his  apostle- 
ship.  In  this  Epistle,  as  in  others,  Paul 
beneficently  spreads  himself  over  the  whole 
necessity  of  the  inner  life  of  man — he  is 
mystic,  transcendental,  doctrinal,  pastoral, 
domestic,  social,  and  through  all  and  above 

3 


4  INTRODUCTION 

all  he  is  intensely  devout.  At  once  he 
stands  up  in  his  full  apostolic  stature,  in 
holy  consciousness  of  his  divine  call,  and 
in  full  assurance  that  he  is  in  trust  of  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ;  and  in  that 
hour  of  expansion  and  transfiguration  there 
be  few  who  dare  approach  him  except  in 
an  attitude  of  admiring  and  grateful  obei- 
sance. Then  almost  suddenly,  and  with  in- 
finite simplicity  and  elder-brotherhood,  he 
sits  down  on  the  common  house-chair  and 
talks  to  the  husband  and  the  wife,  the  parent 
and  the  child,  the  master  and  the  servant; 
he  becomes  a  household  friend — he  does  not 
enter  the  family  as  a  usurper  or  a  revolu- 
tionist, but  as  a  friend,  a  brother,  a  coun- 
sellor, a  very  fountain  of  sympathy.  Paul 
suffuses  the  whole  family  life  with  the 
highest  Christian  sentiment,  and  it  is  as  if 
the  house-life  were  subtly  penetrated  by  an 
unguent  from  the  Holy  One.  "It  is  like 
the  precious  ointment  upon  the  head,  that 
ran  down  upon  the  beard,  even  Aaron's 
beard:  that  went  down  to  the  skirts  of  his 
garments."  There  is  no  mistaking  the 
fragrance,   the  perfume,   the  new  sensation 


INTRODUCTION  5 

of  pleasure.  Life  is  instantly  lifted  to  a 
new  level,  invested  with  a  new  power, 
cheered  by  a  new  hope.  Here  and  there 
the  inspired  Apostle  comes  down  upon  a 
kind  of  Christian  Sinai,  and  delivers  as  by 
right  ten  commandments,  and  ten  more,  in 
the  name  of  the  Triune  God.  Thunder 
and  lightning,  rending  storm  and  quaking 
rocks,  there  are  none;  yet  the  command- 
ments are  of  full  number,  and  God's 
own  red  seal  is  upon  the  throbbing  and 
clamant  decalogue.  The  Apostle  makes  no 
apology,  asks  for  no  concession,  suggests 
no  compromise;  the  Christian  Sinai  is  as 
peremptory  and  final  in  its  law-giving  as 
was  the  Sinai  of  Moses.  Read  the  new 
Sinaitic  code  as  written  by  the  later  Moses 
and  compare  it  with  the  first  Decalogue: 

"Lie  not  one  to  another,  seeing  that 
ye  have  put  off  the  old  man  with  his 
deeds." 

"Put  on  therefore,  as  the  elect  of 
God,  .  .  .  bowels  of  mercies,  kind- 
ness, humbleness  of  mind,  meekness, 
longsuffering." 


6  INTRODUCTION 

"  Forbearing  one  another,  and  for- 
giving one  another." 
"Put  on  charity." 
"Let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in 
you  richly." 

"Wives,  submit  yourselves." 
"Husbands,  love  your  wives." 
"Servants,  obey  your  masters." 
"Masters,  give  unto  your  servants 
that  which  is  just  and  equal." 

"Walk  in  wisdom  toward  them  that 
are  without." 

Where,  then,  is  the  plea  that  the  new 
Sinai  is  a  barren  rock  and  life  a  licence 
wanton  and  uncontrolled?  Moses  stood  on 
a  mountain  to  receive  the  law,  Jesus  sat  on 
a  mountain  to  pronounce  the  Beatitudes,  and 
from  a  kind  of  Serbal  Paul  delivers  his  ex- 
panded decalogue,  and  in  doing  so  he  is  a 
figure  at  once  solitary  and  majestic.  Jesus 
is  always  beautiful  to  me  in  quite  a  tender 
and  winning  way  when  He  talks  about 
flowers,  and  sheep,  and  birds,  and  seven- 
fold is  He  in  winsomeness  when  He  takes 
little  children  in  his  arms  and  blesses  them. 


INTRODUCTION  7 

So  Paul,  the  vehement  reasoner  and  the 
Felix-smiting  accuser,  is  approachable  and 
most  lovesome  when  he  puts  the  hand  of 
the  husband  into  the  hand  of  the  wife  and 
weds  them  in  a  deepening  love  before  the 
altar  of  Christ,  and  when  he  brings  master 
and  servant  face  to  face  and  bids  them  care 
honestly  and  worthily  for  one  another.  A 
sweet  thing  it  is  to  have  the  Gospel,  whose 
beginning  is  in  eternity,  thus  brought  imme- 
diately and  condescendingly  into  the  house 
and  constituted  a  factor  in  the  daily  life. 

How  deeply  anxious  the  Apostle  is  that 
we  should  all  be  better  men!  He  does  not 
seek  our  admiration;  he  claims  our  obedience 
to  Christ.  He  does  not  come  to  decorate  the 
house,  but  in  the  grace  of  God  to  recreate 
the  householder.  The  cogency  of  his  reason- 
ing adds  to  the  passion  of  his  appeal.  With 
less  logic  Paul  would  have  less  love.  This 
is  no  paradox,  but  a  simple  commonplace;  it 
is  really  because  he  reasons  conclusively  that 
Paul  loves  so  ardently.  As  a  well-equipped 
reasoner,  Paul  sees  the  case  through  and 
through  in   all  its   complication,  yet   in  all 


8  INTRODUCTION 

its  unity,  and  for  that  reason  his  heart  loves 
wherever  his  mind  perceives.  What  a 
privilege  to  hold  communion  with  a  mind 
like  Paul's!  He  invites  us  to  the  very 
fellowship  of  his  soul.  In  our  degree  we, 
by  companionship,  become  as  he  is,  and  we 
are  permitted  to  reflect  in  shadowed  glory 
somewhat  of  his  unique  and  burning  lustre. 
In  his  own  degree  Paul  was  as  unique  and 
solitary  as  Jesus — often  as  unapproachable, 
often  as  condescending.  Remember  these 
great  Epistles  were  written  as  if  for  the 
private  reading  of  the  church,  or  were 
meant  to  do  a  circular  service  amongst  other 
churches;  they  were  not  meant  to  be  articles 
of  merchandise  and  to  be  sold  in  the  public 
market-place.  They  were  in  very  deed  letters 
of  solicitous  love.  They  are  not  what  we  now 
call  pieces  of  literature ;  they  are  heart-blood, 
vital  messages,  gospels  that  had  not  only  been 
received,  but  had  been  strenuously  loved  and 
tested  and  finally  approved  by  one  of  the 
greatest  minds  known  to  human  history.  The 
Epistles  are  authoritative  too.  If  now  and 
again  Paul  ventured  an  opinion  of  his  own 
he  definitely  marked  it  as  such,  and  in  a  way 


INTRODUCTION  9 

distrusted  it — otherwise  he  spoke  in  the  im- 
perative mood,  as  if  speaking  in  the  name  of 
Jesus.  The  imperativeness  of  Pauline  teach- 
ing admits  of  no  doubt,  and  that  imperative- 
ness was  the  more  vigorous  as  it  was  the  more 
remarkable,  because  it  was  applied  to  the 
greatest  of  all  subjects  and  the  most  exacting 
of  all  claims. 


Let  us  quietly  read  Paul's  Epistle  to  the 
Colossians,  first  as  a  summary  and  then 
lovingly  verse  by  verse,  and  see  whether 
these  comments  are  not  fully  sustained. 

Paul  (whose  only  title  now  is  an 
Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  used  to 
be  a  Pharisee  of  the  Pharisees,  proud 
with  the  pride  of  ancestry  and  con- 
ceited by  the  recollection  of  self- 
righteousness,  but  now  an  apostle  of 
the  Lamb  of  God)  desires  for  you 
grace  and  peace  from  God  our  Father 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Timo- 
theus  and  I  give  thanks  to  the  God 
and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 


10  INTRODUCTION 

praying  always  for  you  with  a  most 
tender  heart  ever  since  we  heard  the 
blessed  news  of  your  strong  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus,  a  faith  which  has  been 
amply  proved  by  the  love  which  ye 
have  to  all  the  saints,  on  account  of 
the  hope  which  is  laid  up  for  you  in 
heaven,  whereof  ye  have  heard  before 
at  the  very  moment  of  your  first 
conversion  in  the  word  of  the  truth 
of  the  Gospel.  You  have  received  a 
blessing  which  is  intended  not  for 
you  only,  but  for  all  the  ages  of 
mankind,  and,  indeed,  already  is  the 
new  morning  brightening  on  the  hills 
of  time,  and  all  nations  shall  see  it 
and  rejoice  in  its  infinite  gladness. 
The  fruit  of  this  blessed  Gospel  is 
like  the  fruit  of  an  orchard  which 
spreads  itself  over  the  whole  earth. 
We  greet  you  as  fruitful  Christians. 
We  have  testimony  on  your  behalf 
which  we  would  rather  magnify  than 
ignore,  for  Epaphras  has  told  us  of 
your  love  in  the  Spirit.  We  never 
cease  to  pray  for  you,  and  to  desire 


INTRODUCTION  11 

that  ye  may  be  filled  with  the  know- 
ledge of  God's  will  in  all  wisdom 
and  spiritual  understanding.  This 
Gospel  is  no  mere  sentiment;  it  is 
always  to  be  associated  with  know- 
ledge and  wisdom  and  understanding. 
You  are  remarkable  for  your  courtesy 
and  for  your  desire  to  please  all  with 
whom  you  come  in  contact,  and  thus 
you  prove  in  one  distinct  sense  that 
you  are  fruitful  in  good  works,  and 
daily  increasing  in  the  knowledge  of 
God.  Continue  to  walk  worthily  of 
the  Lord.  Walk  worthy  of  the 
vocation  with  which  you  are  called. 
You  are  called  to  walk  worthily  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  seeing  that 
you  have  in  Him  a  glorious  and 
perfect  example.  We  not  only  pray 
for  you,  but  we  give  thanks  unto  the 
Father,  which  hath  made  us  together 
with  you  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the 
inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light. 
We  are  as  truly  "made"  in  our 
highest  character  as  the  sun  was 
"made"  by  the  omnipotence  of  God. 


12  INTRODUCTION 

He  who  made  the  sun  also  makes 
the  brighter  light  of  Christian  char- 
acter. You  have  no  longer  any  re- 
lation to  darkness,  you  are  translated 
from  darkness  into  the  kingdom  of 
God's  dear  Son — just  as  a  race  of  men 
may  be  translated  or  transferred  from 
one  colony  to  another,  or  from  one 
kingdom  to  another.  You  are  not 
only  liberated  from  darkness,  you  are 
admitted  into  light.  All  this  comes 
through  the  redemption  wrought  by 
the  blood  of  Christ,  even  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins;  for  Christ  is  the  image 
of  the  invisible  God,  the  firstborn  of 
every  creature.  He  was  begotten  be- 
fore all  creation,  begotten  before  all 
worlds.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  supreme 
Personality,  the  Creator  of  all  things: 
the  heavens  are  His  and  the  earth, 
the  visible  and  the  invisible,  whether 
they  be  thrones,  or  dominions,  or 
principalities,  or  powers;  all  things 
were  created  by  the  Lord  who  re- 
deemed you.  They  were  not  only 
created  by  Him,  but  for  Him.     He 


INTRODUCTION  13 

is  a  glorious  Lord.  He  is  the  Head 
of  the  Church,  the  firstborn  from 
the  dead;  in  all  things  He  has  the 
pre-eminence;  in  Him  all  fulness 
dwells.  It  is  in  His  gracious  and 
glorious  name  that  we  write  this 
letter  of  love,  this  epistle  of  instruc- 
tion, exhortation,  direction,  and  com- 
fort. You  must  always  think  of 
Christ  as  the  origin  and  source  of 
redeeming  love.  With  Christ  redemp- 
tion was  not  an  idea  only,  a  mere 
effort  of  the  mind  even  in  its  su- 
premest  moments — it  was  a  shedding 
of  blood,  the  very  blood  of  His  heart, 
for  only  by  such  shedding  could  He 
work  out  the  mystery  of  redemption. 
There  is  no  peace  but  through  the 
blood  of  the  Cross.  We  do  not  forget 
that,  like  ourselves,  you  were  some- 
times alienated  and  enemies  in  your 
mind  by  wicked  works — all  mankind 
were  in  the  same  condemnation;  but 
now  we  are  reconciled  by  the  priest- 
hood of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  one 
object   of   that   priesthood   being   to 


14  INTRODUCTION 

present  all  believers  unblamable  and 
unreprovable  in  the  divine  sight. 
You  are  not  to  boast  of  this  as  if  it 
were  your  own  doing.  You  must  never 
relax  discipline.  You  must  continue 
in  the  faith  grounded  and  settled, 
and  be  not  moved  away  from  the 
hope  of  the  Gospel;  if  you  would  be 
saved,  you  must  endure  unto  the  end. 
Christ  has  left  to  us  a  legacy  of 
suffering.  In  a  sense  we  have  to  fill 
up  that  which  is  behind  of  the  afflic- 
tions of  Christ.  The  Christian  faith 
is  no  luxury.  We  lie  on  no  bed  of 
roses;  for  my  own  part  I  have  to 
suffer,  and  to  suffer  until  my  very 
agony  becomes  my  supreme  joy.  I 
thank  God  that  I  have  seen  the 
mystery  of  redemption,  and  felt  its 
gracious  and  uplifting  power.  I 
have  indeed  now  become  a  minister, 
being  made  one  according  to  the 
dispensation  of  God.  At  first  I  did 
not  see  clearly  the  whole  divine 
purpose;  but  now  I  can  look  back- 
ward into  the    mystery  of  eternity, 


INTRODUCTION  15 

and  forward  into  the  mystery  of 
evolution,  and  in  the  exercise  of  this 
enabling  power  I  can  preach  Christ, 
warning  every  man  and  teaching 
every  man  in  all  wisdom.  Our  object 
as  Christian  ministers  is  to  present 
every  man  perfect  in  Christ  Jesus. 

I  have  had  great  conflict  for  you 
and  about  you,  and  also  for  them  at 
Laodicea,  and  for  many  who  have 
not  seen  my  face  in  the  flesh.  There 
is  an  invisible  as  well  as  a  visible 
Church;  there  is  a  Church  that  can 
be  seen  in  the  flesh,  but  physical 
sight  does  not  constitute  the  Church. 
Many  beyond  the  range  of  our  ob- 
servation should  be  bound  up  in  our 
solicitude  and  in  our  tenderest  prayer. 
We  have  prayed  much  for  those 
whom  we  have  not  seen.  We  want 
them  to  see  the  mystery  of  light, 
and  to  rejoice  in  the  new  morning. 
Increase  of  knowledge  is  one  of  the 
guarantees  of  our  spiritual  security. 
Let  no  man  beguile  you  with  enticing 


16  INTRODUCTION 

words.  There  are  many  smooth 
tongues  that  would  by  fair  speeches 
deceive  the  very  elect.  You  see  how 
deeply  interested  I  am  in  your  well- 
being,  for  though  I  am  absent  in  the 
flesh,  yet  am  I  with  you  in  the  spirit, 
joying  and  beholding  your  order,  and 
the  stedfastness  of  your  faith  in 
Christ.  Do  not  give  way  to  reverie 
and  self-indulgent  contemplation,  but 
walk  in  Christ.  If  I  may  change 
the  figure,  you  must  be  rooted  and 
built  up  in  Him,  and  stablished  in 
the  faith.  All  this  comes  little  by 
little:  children  born  yesterday  do 
not  grow  into  men  to-morrow.  Again 
and  again  I  say  there  are  many 
false  philosophies  and  vain  deceits 
seeking  to  ensnare  and  disable  you. 
Live  in  Christ.  In  Him  alone  dwell- 
eth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead 
bodily.  You  are  only  complete  in 
the  degree  in  which  you  abide  in 
Him.  Trust  nothing  to  circumcision 
or  to  any  form  of  ritual.  Be  circum- 
cised in  your  hearts,  and  put  off  the 


INTRODUCTION  17 

body  of  the  sins  of  the  flesh;  go 
down  with  Christ  into  the  river  of 
His  suffering,  and  into  the  grave  of 
His  humiliation,  and  in  due  time 
you  shall  share  His  honour,  and  sit 
with  Him  on  His  throne.  Many 
think  that  they  are  good  because 
they  have  been  circumcised  with 
hands.  You  must  get  rid  of  this 
mischievous  fallacy.  Christianity  is 
not  a  ceremony — it  is  a  faith,  a  re- 
demption, a  sanctification.  Christ  has 
put  all  ordinances  in  their  right 
places,  and  their  handwriting  which 
was  against  us  He  has  taken  out  of 
the  way,  and  has  nailed  it  to  His 
cross. 

There  are  others  who  will  plague  you 
about  meat  and  drink,  and  holydays 
and  new  moons.  Pay  no  attention  to 
them.  Remember  that  your  complete- 
ness is  in  Christ.  Whatever  was  good 
in  ordinances  and  rituals  and  cere- 
monies was  but  a  shadow  of  something 
better.     The  body  is  of  Christ.     There 


18  INTRODUCTION 

are  many  curious  theories  going  abroad 
to-day.  There  is  a  theory  of  voluntary 
humility;  there  is  also  a  peculiar 
theory  of  angel  worship;  there  is  an 
intrusion  into  things  which  cannot 
yet  be  seen.  All  this  ends  in  being 
vainly  puffed  up  by  a  fleshly  mind, 
and  it  is  always  marked  by  the 
cruellest  schism  of  all,  which  is  the 
cutting  off  of  the  soul  from  the  Christ, 
the  Head,  the  Son  of  God.  Of  course, 
your  faith  is  but  young — you  have 
hardly  escaped  some  of  the  rudiments 
of  the  world;  yet  in  Christ  you  are 
free — free  from  ordinances,  free  from 
the  commandments  and  doctrines  of 
men,  free  from  all  the  beggarly  ele- 
ments of  the  world.  Live  in  the  sun- 
shine. Know  that  ye  are  the  children 
of  the  morning  and  that  the  spirit  of 
darkness  has  no  claim  upon  you. 

Prove  that  you  are  risen  with  Christ 
by  seeking  those  things  which  are 
above;  set  your  affection  on  things 
above,    withdrawing    it    wholly    from 


INTRODUCTION  19 

things  on  the  earth.  Realise  the  fact 
that  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in 
God.  Expect  Christ  to  appear,  and 
know  that  when  He  appears  you  shall 
also  appear  with  Him  in  glory.  As 
to  all  that  is  rough  and  degrading  in 
human  life,  cut  it  off  as  with  a  two- 
edged  sword,  and  have  no  relation  to 
it.  Do  not  try  to  blow  away  the  dark- 
ness with  your  own  breath,  but  bring 
to  bear  upon  it  the  sunlight  of  a  holy 
faith  and  a  continual  obedience.  You 
have  been  clothed  with  the  garments 
of  the  evil  one — anger,  wrath,  malice, 
blasphemy,  filthy  communications  out 
of  your  mouth.  Put  off  all  these 
things  as  you  would  put  off  detest- 
able garments,  and  walk  in  the  white 
raiment  of  holiness.  Discard  the  old 
man  with  his  deeds,  and  remember  that 
you  have  put  on  the  new  man  which 
is  renewed  in  knowledge  after  the 
image  of  Him  that  created  him.  Get 
out  of  all  narrow  prejudices,  all 
limited  circles,  all  local  and  perishing 
patriotisms,  and  enter  into  that  new 


20  INTRODUCTION 

fellowship,  that  spiritual  and  indissolu- 
ble brotherhood,  where  there  is  neither 
Greek  nor  Jew,  circumcision  nor 
uncircumcision,  Barbarian,  Scythian, 
bond  nor  free;  but  Christ  is  all  in  all. 
If  I  have  told  you  to  put  off  the  old 
man  with  his  deeds,  I  must  further  tell 
you  to  put  on  bowels  of  mercies,  kind- 
ness, humbleness  of  mind,  meekness, 
longsuffering.  These  are  the  King's 
robes;  these  are  the  wedding  garments 
that  will  entitle  you  to  a  high  place 
at  the  feast  of  love.  Forgive  one 
another.  Let  your  forgiveness  be 
greater  than  your  quarrelsomeness. 
As  Christ  forgave  you,  so  you  ought 
to  forgive  other  people.  Whatever 
else  you  put  on  as  clothing  for  the 
soul,  be  sure  to  put  on  charity,  which 
is  the  bond  of  perfectness.  You  will 
know  that  you  are  properly  clothed 
as  to  the  soul  by  your  relation  to  the 
peace  of  God.  When  that  holy  dove 
broods  within  your  soul  know  that  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  nigh  at  hand. 
Have    no    vain    theories,    inventions, 


INTRODUCTION  21 

conceits,  or  fantastic  conjectures  about 
holy  things,  but  let  the  word  of  Christ 
dwell  in  you  richly  in  all  wisdom; 
teaching  and  admonishing  one  another 
in  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual 
songs,  singing  with  grace  in  your 
hearts  to  the  Lord.  Make  Jesus 
Christ  the  beginning  and  the  end  of 
all  your  words  and  all  your  deeds.  In 
these  matters  we  speak  to  men,  women, 
and  children;  to  wives,  that  they  may 
be  gentle  and  responsive  to  all  love; 
to  husbands,that  they  may  magnify  the 
privileges  and  the  joys  of  wedded  life; 
to  children,  that  they  may  obey  their 
parents  in  all  things;  to  fathers,  that 
they  provoke  not  their  children  to 
anger;  to  servants,  that  they  may  so 
work  as  to  prove  that  labour  has  a  dig- 
nity of  its  own,  and  that  its  reward  is 
not  of  privilege,  but  of  right.  My  breth- 
ren, whatsoever  ye  do,  do  it  heartily,  as 
to  the  Lord,  and  not  unto  men;  then 
you  will  not  be  dependent  upon  public 
opinion,  but  upon  divine  grace,  for  the 
issue  and  the  benediction  of  your  lives. 


22  INTRODUCTION 

When  the  word  of  Christ  dwells  in 
you  richly  and  prevails  above  all  other 
words,  masters  will  be  just  to  their 
servants,  and  servants  will  be  just  to 
their  masters.  The  true  socialism  is 
an  aspect  of  prayer  and  of  thanks- 
giving— indeed,  it  is  the  second  com- 
mandment which  is  impossible  apart 
from  the  first.  Pray  for  us.  Pray 
that  we  may  have  larger  opportunities 
for  doing  good ;  pray  that  we  may  pass 
from  bondage  to  liberty.  Take  care 
how  you  behave  yourselves  to  them 
which  are  without;  they  are  watching 
you,  so  I  pray  that  your  speech  be 
always  with  grace,  seasoned  with  salt, 
that  ye  may  know  how  ye  ought  to 
answer  every  man.  Tychicus  is  coming 
to  you — he  is  a  beloved  brother,  and 
a  faithful  minister  and  fellow-servant 
in  the  Lord.  I  am  sending  him  to 
you  with  messages  of  love,  and  with 
inquiries  of  hopeful  solicitude.  Many 
here  kiss  their  hands  to  you  and  send 
tokens  of  brotherhood;  for  example, 
Aristarchus,  and  Marcus,  and  Justus. 


INTRODUCTION  23 

One  of  your  own  slaves  is  here,  I  mean 
Epaphras,  and  he  saluteth  you.  You 
have  no  idea  how  this  man  loves  you, 
and  prays  fervently  for  you,  that  ye 
may  stand  perfect  and  complete  in  all 
the  will  of  God.  You  can  hardly 
imagine  how  fervent  is  his  zeal  towards 
you.  Luke,  the  beloved  physician, 
and  Demas,  both  greet  you.  Give  my 
love  to  the  brethren  which  are  in 
Laodicea,  and  to  Nymphas,  and  the 
church  which  is  in  his  house.  Read 
this  epistle  wherever  you  have  an 
opportunity.  Speak  kind  words  to 
Archippus  about  his  ministry;  may  he 
always  remember  that  his  ministry  was 
not  the  gift  of  man,  but  a  direct  trust 
from  the  Lord  Jesus.  I  wave  my 
hand  towards  you  in  token  of  loving 
brotherhood.  When  you  think  of  me, 
think  of  my  bonds.  Sometimes  the 
chain  is  very  heavy,  but  the  burden 
can  be  prayed  away.  Farewell, 
brother  beloved, — Grace  be  with  you. 
Amen. 


PRAYER  BEFORE  PERUSAL 

Spirit  of  the  living  God,  be  pleased  to  open  my  eyes 
that  I  may  see  this  vision  of  truth  and  grace,  in  all 
its  tender  beauty.  Thou  hast  most  mercifully  sent 
great  hearts  to  teach  us  what  they  know  of  the 
mystery  and  the  power  of  Thy  love.  For  all  their 
comforting  words  we  bless  Thee,  for  they  are  in  very 
truth  words  full  of  light  and  peace.  Carry  my  soul 
far  from  all  the  noises  of  the  world  and  give  me 
to  hear  the  music  of  Thine  own  voice,  sounding  in 
the  human  tones  of  such  a  man  as  was  the  Apostle 
Paul.  For  his  conversion  I  bless  Thee,  as  for  the 
creation  of  a  new  world.  May  the  fire  of  his  spirit 
kindle  my  heart,  and  may  the  wholeness  of  his 
consecration  lift  me  above  all  the  distractions  and 
temptations  of  time.  Beyond  all  the  apostolic 
eloquence  may  I  hear  the  still  small  voice  of  the 
Cross,  and  through  all  the  strenuous  argument  may 
I  feel  the  almighty  constraint  of  atoning  and  re- 
deeming love      Amen. 


CHAPTER  I 

SOMETIMES  the  value  of  a  letter  depends 
almost  wholly  upon  the  known  person- 
ality of  the  writer.  Even  the  greatest 
subjects  seldom  lose  either  in  dignity  or  in 
utility  by  the  fact  that  they  are  not  anony- 
mous. The  most  of  the  Epistles  in  the 
New  Testament  are  what  we  should  call 
" signed  documents."  Even  the  Epistle  to 
the  Hebrews  may  be  Pauline  without  its 
having  been  written  directly  by  the  hand  of 
the  illustrious  Apostle.  There  may  be  said 
to  be  a  Mosaic  literature  which  Moses  did  not 
personally  write.  So  also  there  is  a  Pauline 
literature,  even  though  spoken  and  written 
by  other  men;  we  know  that  style  by  its 
strength,  its  spirituality,  its  grasp  of  doctrine, 
its  intense  and  even  passionate  enthusiasm. 
The  style  of  Paul  is  not  only  that  of  an 
expositor — not   infrequently   it   is   the   style 

25 


26  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

of  a  legislator.  Paul  is  something  more 
than  a  preacher.  He  gave  " commandment" 
unto  the  churches  in  Galatia.  He  did  not 
hesitate  to  set  himself  up  as  a  type  or 
pattern  of  the  Christian  life,  and  call  upon 
others  to  be  " imitators"  of  him,  as  he 
himself  was  a  follower  of  Christ.  Yet  Paul 
was  full  of  humility.  He  never  called 
himself  the  Apostle,  as  if  he  were  the  only 
apostle;  in  this  case,  as  in  others,  he  is 
simply  Paul,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Yet  we  cannot  escape  the  difference  between 
him  and  any  other  apostle.  His  noble 
egotism,  so  infinitely  different  from  vanity, 
shines  through  all  the  sublime  subjects,  and 
gives  them  a  kind  of  incarnation.  As  Jesus 
Christ  was  the  incarnation  of  God,  so,  in  a 
broad  sense,  Paul  was  the  incarnation  of  the 
spirit  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Verses  1,  2:  "Paul,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ  by 
the  will  of  God,  and  Timotheus  our  brother,  to  the 
saints  and  faithful  brethren  in  Christ  which  are  at 
Colosse:  Grace  be  unto  you,  and  peace,  from  God 
our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Paul  did  not  mix  up  the  Church  and  the 
nation.     He  separated  the  saints  and  faithful 


THE  COLOSSIANS  27 

brethren  in  Christ  from  all  the  other  inhabi- 
tants of  Colosse.  It  is  of  importance  to 
notice  that  the  letter  was  not  addressed 
to  the  inhabitants  of  Colosse,  but  to  the 
Christian  souls  specially  gathered  into  fellow- 
ship in  that  city.  The  Church  of  Christ  is 
not  to  be  confused  with  the  commonalty  of 
citizenship.  This  is  a  vital  principle  in 
the  creed  of  many  Christians.  We  are  not 
Christians  because  we  belong  to  the  nation; 
we  are  a  special  influence  in  the  nation,  as 
those  who  live  in  Jesus  Christ  and  obey 
His  rule.  Taking  the  words  as  they  stand, 
who  can  think  that  Paul  regarded  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  simply  as  a  man?  If  the  junc- 
ture of  names,  as  we  here  find  it,  occurred 
only  once  in  the  apostolic  Epistles,  there 
might  be  some  controversy  as  to  its  proper 
meaning — it  might  even  be  challenged  as  a 
spurious  reading — but  the  conjunction  is 
frequent,  so  frequent,  indeed,  as  to  be  iden- 
tical in  the  value  of  the  names  which  are 
thus  associated.  We  could  not  imagine 
the  Apostle  saying,  "  Grace  be  unto  you, 
and  peace,  from  God  our  Father,  and 
from   a   fellow-creature   who   was   murdered 


28  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

by  the  Romans  a  few  years  ago."  Such  a 
union  of  names  would  amount  to  blasphemy. 
v  The  very  position  which  is  assigned  to  Christ 
in  all  such  salutations  is  proof  enough  that 
the  Apostles  regarded  Jesus  Christ  as  worthy 
of  equal  honour  with  the  Father.  The  salu- 
tation forms  a  channel  through  which  the 
heart  of  the  Apostle  is  about  to  flow  in  tender 
and  comforting  expression. 


Verses  3-5:  "We  give  thanks  to  God  and  the 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  praying  always  for 
you,  since  we  heard  of  your  faith  in  Christ  Jesus, 
and  of  the  love  which  ye  have  to  all  the  saints,  for 
the  hope  which  is  laid  up  for  you  in  heaven",  whereof 
ye  heard  before  in  the  word  of  the  truth  of  the 
gospel." 


Who  does  not  thank  God  for  an  abounding 
harvest?  Who  can  refrain  from  thanking 
God  in  the  presence  of  a  luxuriant  land- 
scape? Who  can  keep  back  a  spiritual  song 
when  he  stands  amid  the  splendour  of  high 
summer?  It  was  in  some  such  way  that 
the  Apostle  thanked  God  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Christian  life  in  the  Christians 
of  Colosse.  Who  can  refrain  from  expressing 
the  desire  that  a  great  harvest  may  be  safely 


THE  COLOSSIANS  29 

gathered  in?  Who  would  not  pray  that  the 
tempest  or  the  chilling  wind  may  be  kept 
back  until  the  wheat-fields,  the  olive-yards, 
and  the  orchards  should  be  completely  reaped? 
In  some  such  way  the  Apostle  desired  that 
the  Colossian  Christians  should  be  kept  from 
all  destructive  influences,  that  their  faith  and 
their  love  might  be  perfected  in  some  still 
higher  expression.  Not  only  does  the  Apostle 
thank  God  for  what  has  already  been  seen 
in  Colosse — he  would  regard  the  dawn  as 
only  the  precursor  of  the  full  day.  We  are 
reminded  that  Christian  reputation  makes 
itself  known  in  very  effective  ways.  The 
fame  of  this  church  was  not  confined  to  its 
own  city.  The  Apostle  had  heard  that  there 
were  people  at  Colosse  whose  faith  and  love 
were  not  only  conspicuous,  but  pre-eminent. 
Piety  creates  its  own  fame.  In  writing  to 
the  Philippians  the  Apostle  shows  that  un- 
faithfulness creates  its  own  infamy;  in  that 
epistle  he  speaks  of  some  who  were  "the  ene- 
mies of  the  cross  of  Christ."  Why  does  the 
Apostle  speak  so  much  of  heaven,  heavenly 
places,  and  heavenly  citizenship  in  these 
epistles  of  the  captivity?  Is  he  nearing 
T 


30  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

the  better  land?  Has  he  caught  some  odour 
in  the  wind  which  must  have  come  from  the 
unseen  gardens? 


Verse  6:  "Which  is  come  unto  you,  as  it  is  in 
all  the  world;  and  bringeth  forth  fruit,  as  it  doth 
also  in  you,  since  the  day  ye  heard  of  it,  and  knew 
the  grace  of  God  in  truth." 


The  Apostle  will  have  the  Gospel  recog- 
nised as  universal.  He  associated  it  with 
"all  the  world."  Other  religions  were  local. 
Paganism  had  its  village  and  its  temple, 
cut  off,  probably,  from  other  villages  and 
other  temples;  but  Christianity  was  a  temple 
whose  only  roof  was  the  sky.  The  Apostle 
seems  to  regard  himself  as  a  special  registrar, 
whose  office  it  was  to  mark  the  progress  of 
the  Christian  cause  over  the  face  of  the  whole 
earth.  The  Apostle  connects  the  Colossian 
church  with  the  universal  brotherhood  of 
Christians.  He  tells  the  Colossians  that 
they  are  only  part  of  a  whole,  and  that  if 
they  could  see  things  as  he  sees  them  they 
would  rejoice  that  the  Christian  orchards, 
loaded  and  blossoming  with  precious  fruit, 
were  only  bounded  by  the  horizon.     We  are 


THE  COLOSSIANS  31 

thus  comforted  by  the  general  outlook.  A 
man  may  be  imprisoned  as  well  as  sheltered 
by  the  valley.  He  should  often  climb  the 
mountain  and  see  how  fruitful  fields  are 
rejoicing,  as  it  were,  under  the  full  light 
of  the  divine  blessing.  England  should  be 
comforted  by  progress  in  India.  America 
should  rejoice  because  of  the  good  news 
from  far-off  Africa. 


Verse  7:  "As  ye  also  learned  of  Epaphras  our 
dear  fellow-servant,  who  is  for  you  a  faithful  minister 
of  Christ." 


It  is  wonderful  to  notice  how  the  Apostle 
seems  to  have  special  lines  of  communica- 
tion with  all  the  cities  in  which  the  Gospel 
has  been  preached.  Paul  was  the  greatest 
Christian  traveller  of  his  day.  He  seemed 
to  keep  an  intelligence  bureau,  for  he  knew 
everything  that  was  going  on  in  all  the 
churches  which  God  had  enabled  him  to 
plant.  In  one  way  or  another  Paul  keeps 
himself  fully  apprised  of  the  Christian 
situation.  Epaphras  may  be  the  short  form 
of  Epaphroditus,  not  necessarily  the  Epaph- 
roditus    mentioned    in    the    Epistle    to    the 


32  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

Philippians.  It  is  beautiful  to  think  of 
Epaphras  as  being  a  native  of  Colosse,  and 
as  being  what  we  should  now  call  "a  native 
evangelist."  By-and-by  he  acquired  what  we 
may  call  aa  larger  spiritual  jurisdiction," 
doing  Christian  work  not  only  in  Colosse,  but 
in  the  neighbouring  cities  of  Laodicea  and 
Hierapolis.  Epaphras  was  a  teacher  through 
whose  ministrations  the  Colossians  had  come 
to  know,  even  with  perfectness,  the  grace 
of  God.  Paul  never  undervalues  the  younger 
ministry.  Probably  there  never  was  a  more 
appreciative  spirit  in  the  Christian  Church 
than  the  Apostle  Paul's.  Wherever  he  can 
bring  in  another  name  as  a  fellow-labourer, 
he  does  so  with  the  warmest  cordiality.  In 
this  case  Epaphras  is  "our  dear  fellow- 
servant,"  and  he  is  represented  also  as  "a 
faithful  minister  of  Christ." 

Verses  8,  9 :  "  Who  also  declared  unto  us  your 
love  in  the  Spirit.  For  this  cause  we  also,  since  the 
day  we  heard  it,  do  not  cease  to  pray  for  you,  and  to 
desire  that  ye  might  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of 
His  will  in  all  wisdom  and  spiritual  understanding." 

The   Apostle   rejoices   in   spiritual   intelli- 
gence.    He   did   not   say,   We   rejoice   that 


THE  COLOSSIANS  33 

your  numbers  are  tenfold  more  than  they 
were  when  we  last  heard  of  you.  He  says 
nothing  about  increase  of  funds,  or  property, 
or  endowment,  or  worldly  patronage.  He 
rejoices  that  he  had  learned  from  Epaph- 
ras  that  the  Colossians  were  growing  in 
love  in  the  Spirit.  This  should  be  a  lesson 
to  all  pastors  and  churches.  No  church  is 
either  poor  or  weak  which  is  strong  in  love. 
No  church  is  either  poor  or  weak  which  is 
associated  with  the  personality  and  ministry 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  day  will  surely 
come  when  we  shall  not  ask  questions  in 
statistics,  but  shall  listen  with  eagerness 
and  gratitude  to  every  report  by  which  we 
are  assured  that  the  churches  of  Christ  are 
growing  in  grace.  The  Apostle  does  not 
pray  that  the  Colossian  church  might  have 
larger  funds,  more  perfect  apparatus,  or 
more  elaborate  organisation;  he  desires  that 
1  they  " might  be  filled  with  the  knowledge' 
of  His  will  in  all  wisdom  and  spiritual 
understanding."  This  is  but  another  varia- 
tion of  the  Lord's  command:  "Seek  first 
the  kingdom  of  God;  and  all  these  things 
shall  be  added  unto  you."    Where  the  life 

3 


34  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

is  right  it  will  suggest  and  develop  its  own 
proper  organisation  and  environment.  The 
first  consideration  should  be  the  spiritual 
condition  of  the  heart,  a  supreme  and  im- 
portunate desire  to  know  God's  will  more 
perfectly,  and  to  get  into  that  higher  region 
which  is  infinitely  above  the  dry  intellect, 
and  is  called  here  "  spiritual  understand- 
ing." We  are  to  grow  in  spiritual  genius, 
in  spiritual  sensitiveness,  and  in  spiritual 
consecration. 

Verses  10-12:  "That  ye  might  walk  worthy  of 
the  Lord  unto  all  pleasing,  being  fruitful  in  every 
good  work,  and  increasing  in  the  knowledge  of  God; 
strengthened  with  all  might,  according  to  His  glorious 
power,  unto  all  patience  and  longsuffering  with  joy- 
fulness;  giving  thanks  unto  the  Father,  which  hath 
made  us  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of 
the  saints  in  light." 

What  a  great  prayer  is  this!  How  like 
the  great  prayer  offered  for  the  Ephesians! 
How  unlike  the  petty  prayers  which  the 
Church  is  often  tempted  to  offer!  The 
Apostle  would  have  Christians  "walk  worthy 
of  the  Lord."  This  is  the  practical  aspect 
of  the  prayer.  Christianity  is  not  reverie — 
it   is   action,    it   is   discipline.     Paul   would 


THE  COLOSSIANS  35 

have  Christians  "walk  worthy  of  the  Lord 
unto  all  pleasing,"  inspired  by  a  general  dis- 
position to  make  a  highway  for  the  Gospel 
by  the  amiability,  the  benignity,  the  well- 
doing which  must  always  be  associated  with 
the  spirit  of  love.  The  Apostle  was  not 
commending  "  man-pleasing,"  for  this  he 
always  repudiated  and  denounced.  He  would 
have  men  walk  so  as  to  please  God.  If  we 
please  God,  we  shall,  in  the  highest  sense, 
make  rough  places  plain  and  crooked  places 
straight,  and  men  will  welcome  us  as  those 
who  do  not  create  difficulties,  but  who  make 
all  things  beautiful,  because  righteous.  The 
Apostle  would  have  Christians  "  strengthened 
with  all  might."  The  very  strength  of  the 
divine  glory  should  show  itself  in  their  lives. 
He  would  have  the  Christian  life  a  thankful 
song,  because  a  clear  and  grateful  apprecia- 
tion "of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in 
light."  Every  vision  of  heaven  he  would 
turn  into  a  new  service  for  man.  Every 
difficulty  upon  the  earth  he  would  melt  away 
by  a  clearer  vision  of  the  saints  who  walk  in 
light.  Thus  the  world  should  act  and  react, 
and  out  of  the  continual  action  there  should 


36  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

come  help  and  comfort  and  joy  according 
to  our  daily  need. 


Verse  13:  "Who  hath  delivered  us  from  the  power 
of  darkness,  and  hath  translated  as  into  the  kingdom 
of  His  dear  Son." 


Paul  always  had  a  reason,  even  for  his 
exclamations.  He  would  have  nothing 
merely  emotional  or  sentimental.  Even  his 
gardens  had  rocks  underneath.  This  verse 
affords  an  admirable  illustration;  for  whilst 
he  is  in  the  very  midst  of  an  exhortation, 
pointing  towards  rapture  and  entranced 
delight,  he  reminds  the  Colossians  of  the 
great  redemption  by  which  they  had  been 
brought  into  circumstances  calling  for  psalms 
and  hallelujahs.  He  reminds  the  Colossians 
that  once,  like  the  rest  of  the  world,  they  had 
been  under  the  power  of  darkness — that  they 
were  only  translated  into  the  kingdom  of 
Jesus  Christ  by  the  miracle  of  the  Cross.  It 
was  a  favourite  practice  of  the  Apostle's  to 
remind  Christians  of  the  mire  and  the  clay, 
the  sin  and  ;the  confusion,  out  of  which  they 
had  been  brought.  He  reminded  the  Ephe- 
sians  that  once  they  were  dead  in  trespasses 


THE  COLOSSIANS  37 

and  sins,  and  now  he  reminds  the  Colossians 
that  they  had  been  under  the  power  of  dark- 
ness. Look  into  the  hole  out  of  which  you 
were  digged  would  seem  to  be  a  note  in  the 
Apostle's  argument  and  exhortation.  This 
practice  was  peculiarly  opportune  in  con- 
nection with  the  preceding  call  to  dwell  upon 
the  great  glory  that  was  to  be  revealed  in 
the  higher  experience  and  the  remoter  life 
of  spiritual  development.  We  are  never  to 
forget  that  we  are  the  subjects  of  redemption; 
and  we  are  never  to  forget  that  our  redemp- 
tion is  a  work  of  divine  grace.  " Translated" 
is,  in  this  text,  equivalent  to  "  transplanted," 
as  if  we  had  been  brought  out  of  one  race 
into  another — out  of  a  lower  stratum  into  a 
higher.  A  very  tender  expression  is  "His 
dear  Son,"  or,  more  literally,  "the  Son 
of  His  love."  God  is  love.  Jesus  is  the 
Son  of  God;  therefore  He  is  the  Son  of 
God's  love. 

Verse  14:  "In  whom  we  have  redemption  through 
His  blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins." 

This  never  could  be  said  of  any  merely 
human  creature.     Surely  there  is  infinitely 


38  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

more  than  the  mere  humanity  of  Jesus  Christ 
indicated  by  these  thrilling  words.  The 
Apostle  was  never  afraid  of  the  word  "  blood." 
He  did  not  take  the  narrow  and  revolting 
view  of  blood — he  recognised  all  its  ideal 
and  sacramental  and  sacrificial  aspects  and 
issues.  We  ourselves  have  first  vulgarised 
the  word,  and  then  with  false  sentiment  we 
have  revolted  from  it.  The  blood  is  the  life. 
Jesus  Christ  laid  down  His  life  for  us — not 
part  of  His  life,  nor  part  of  His  duration. 
His  work  is  not  a  parenthesis  in  time  or  in 
the  evolution  of  history.  He  gave  His  blood 
for  us,  and  He  gave  it  from  before  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world.  The  great  blessing 
received  through  the  Atonement  by  blood  is 
the  "  forgiveness  of  sins."  This  is  a  Gospel 
word,  a  grand  evangelical  doctrine — the  very 
characteristic  note  of  the  Christian  revelation. 
Only  they  who  are  forgiven  through  the  blood 
of  Christ  can  enter  into  the  mystery  repre- 
sented by  the  Cross.  This  doctrine  is  not  a 
thesis  to  be  elaborated  and  discussed;  it  is 
a  vital  experience  through  which  the  soul 
must  pass  if  ever  it  is  to  realise  and  enjoy 
"the  peace  which  passeth  all  understanding." 


THE  COLOSSIANS  39 

The  people  amongst  whom  Jesus  Christ  lived 
had  no  hesitation  in  upholding  the  doctrine 
that  "only  God  could  forgive  sins."  This  was 
one  of  the  accusations  they  brought  against 
the  Christ,  that  He  usurped  the  place  of  God 
in  declaring  to  a  man  that  his  sins  were  all 
forgiven.  We  believe,  therefore,  that  Jesus 
Christ  was  more  than  man — more  than  a 
sublime  revelation  of  God.  We  have  no 
difficulty  in  declaring  that  in  Christ  dwelt 
the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily.  There 
are  undoubtedly  great  mysteries  and  difficul- 
ties connected  with  this  conception  of  the 
personality  and  priesthood  of  Jesus  Christ. 
The  mysteries  and  difficulties  have  never 
been  denied.  But  if  we  were  to  turn 
away  from  them,  we  should  only  turn 
towards  mysteries  and  difficulties  greater 
still.  My  own  feeling  is  that  there  is  more 
presumption  in  denial  than  in  belief.  I 
am  continually  comforted  by  the  doctrine 
that  "it  is  better  to  choose  the  mystery  of 
light  than  to  choose  the  mystery  of  dark- 
ness." The  Apostle  Paul  had  a  great  doc- 
trine regarding  the  personality  of  Christ. 
These  are  his  words: 


40  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

Verses  15-20:  "Who  \s  the  image  of  the  invisible 
God,  the  firstborn  of  every  creature:  for  by  Him 
were  all  things  created,  that  are  in  heaven,  and  that 
are  in  earth,  visible  and  invisible,  whether  they  be 
thrones,  or  dominions,  or  principalities,  or  powers:  all 
things  were  created  by  Him,  and  for  Him:  and  He  is 
before  all  things,  and  by  Him  all  things  consist.  And 
He  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the  church:  who  is  the 
beginning,  the  firstborn  from  the  dead;  that  in  all 
things  He  might  have  the  pre-eminence.  For  it  pleased 
the  Father  that  in  Him  should  all  fulness  dwell;  and, 
having  made  peace  through  the  blood  of  His  cross,  by 
Him  to  reconcile  all  things  unto  Himself;  by  Him, 
I  say,  whether  they  be  things  in  earth,  or  things  in 
heaven." 

These  words  may  be  profitably  read  again 
and  again,  so  profound  is  their  conception  of 
the  dominion  of  God.  Language  cannot  more 
clearly  indicate  the  more  than  human  quality 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Can  any  man  be  said  to  be 
"the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  firstborn 
of  every  creature"?  These  words  alone  ex- 
clude the  idea  of  the  mere  humanity  of  Jesus 
Christ.  But  these  are  not  the  only  words 
used  by  the  Apostle.  Of  what  man  ever 
known  to  us  could  it  be  said:  "By  Him  were 
all  things  created,  that  are  in  heaven,  and 
that  are  in  earth,  visible  and  invisible,  .  .  . 
all  things  were  created  by  Him,  and  for  Him : 
and  He  is  before  all  things,  and  by  Him  all 


THE  COLOSSIANS  41 

things  consist"?  These  proofs  of  the  deity 
of  Christ  have  been  accounted  sufficient  by 
generations  of  saintly  theologians.  It  is 
absolutely  certain  that  these  terms  would  be 
out  of  place  if  used  as  a  description  of  any 
mortal  being.  We  are  here  in  the  midst  of 
a  sublime  and  overpowering  vision  of  personal 
glory.  Compare  these  words  with  the  terms 
in  which  Jesus  Christ's  earthly  life  is  described 
in  many  texts.  The  Son  of  man  had  "not 
where  to  lay  His  head/'  yet  "by  Him  were  all 
things  created,  that  are  in  heaven,  and  that 
are  in  earth,  visible  and  invisible."  He  sat 
on  the  well,  weary  with  His  journey,  yet  He 
created  thrones  and  dominions  and  princi- 
palities and  powers.  The  two  conditions  of 
being  should  always  be  realised,  because 
those  who  believe  most  profoundly  in  the 
deity  of  Christ  also  believe  most  profoundly 
in  His  humanity.  The  history  of  Christ  is 
full  of  contrasts.  He  is  "a  root  out  of  a 
dry  ground,"  yet  He  is  "the  rose  of  Sharon, 
and  the  lily  of  the  valleys."  "There  is  no 
beauty  that  we  should  desire  Him,"  yet  He 
is  the  "fairest  among  ten  thousand,"  and 
"altogether  lovely."     He  was  "despised  and 


42  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

rejected  of  men,"  yet  He  is  "the  desire  of 
all  nations." 

In  the  eighteenth  verse  Jesus  Christ  is 
represented  as  the  Head  of  the  Church.  The 
word  "He"  is  emphatic — He,  even  He,  or 
He  Himself.  The  "He"  is  as  emphatic  in 
relation  to  the  Church  as  in  relation  to  the 
image  of  God.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the 
word  "church"  in  this  connection?  Is  not 
the  meaning  profoundly  spiritual?  There  is  an 
ecclesiastical  definition  of  "church"  by  which 
is  meant  an  assembly,  a  convention,  a  formal 
gathering,  a  ceremonial  relationship,  or  a 
congregation  of  men  who  have  a  common 
creed.  All  these  varieties  of  meaning  have 
their  importance,  but  they  do  not  touch 
the  essential  meaning  of  the  term  as  here 
used.  The  Church  of  Christ  is  redeemed 
by  the  blood  of  Christ;  it  has,  therefore, 
entered  into  the  mystery  of  the  priesthood 
of  Christ,  and  all  its  members  are  united 
by  a  great  act  of  sacrifice.  The  Church  is 
more  than  an  assembly;  it  is  a  fellowship 
of  spirit,  a  kinship  of  heart,  an  expression 
of  brotherhood.     Men  can  only  be  brought 


THE  COLOSSIANS  43 

into  Christ's  Church  by  one  way,  and  that 
is  by  way  of  the  Cross.  Nothing  can  be 
farther  from  the  apostolic  idea  than  that 
the  Church  is  a  semi-political  association,  a 
branch  of  the  State,  a  government  within 
a  government,  a  creature  of  human  environ- 
ment. He  whose  soul  is  right  is  in  the 
true  Church.  Churchmanship  is  not  a 
matter  of  formal  creed,  but  of  conscious 
living  union  with  the  fountain  of  life,  even 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  whom  all  fulness 
dwells.  There  may  be  endless  distinctions 
and  differences  of  creed,  but  there  is  only 
one  true  and  indestructible  faith.  Jesus  is 
the  firstborn  of  every  creature;  Jesus  is 
the  firstborn  from  the  dead;  Jesus  is  the 
firstfruits  of  the  resurrection;  Jesus  is  the 
first  and  the  last;  Jesus  has  in  all  things 
the  pre-eminence.  To  apply  such  language 
to  any  mere  man  is  surely  the  profanest 
blasphemy. 

The  same  would  apply  to  the  marvellous 
words  in  verse  20.  Jesus  Christ  "made 
peace  through  the  blood  of  His  Cross."  Of 
what  man  could  this  be  said?     His  blood  was 


44  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

shed  that  He  might  "reconcile  all  things 
unto  Himself."  Of  what  mere  man  could 
this  be  said?  Nor  were  the  things  referred 
to  small,  local,  and  manageable  by  human 
hands.  They  were  "  things  in  earth,  or 
things  in  heaven."  The  mere  asking  of  the 
question  is  its  own  best  answer.  It  is 
impossible  for  Jesus  Christ  to  be  merely  a 
man,  and  yet  to  exercise  all  the  prerogatives 
of  God,  and  to  receive  all  the  adoration 
due  only  to  the  Most  High.  Paul  is  our 
best  Christian  teacher,  and  certainly  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  it  never  entered  into 
Paul's  mind  that  his  Master  was  only  a 
man.  We  are  bound  to  construe  words 
historically  and  grammatically,  and  so  con- 
strued Paul  stands  forth  as  a  rapturous 
and  devoted  believer  in  the  deity  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

Verses  21,  22:  "And  you,  that  were  sometime 
alienated  and  enemies  in  your  mind  by  wicked 
works,  yet  now  hath  He  reconciled  in  the  body  of 
His  flesh  through  death,  to  present  you  holy  and 
unblameable  and  unreproveable  in  His  sight." 

Here  was  a  concrete  instance  of  the  rec- 
onciliation  which   Jesus   Christ   effected   by 


THE  COLOSSIANS  45 

the  blood  of  His  Cross.  The  Apostle  is 
not  content  with  a  general  recognition  of  the 
reconciling  power  of  the  Cross — he  points 
directly  and  personally  to  the  Colossians 
themselves,  "You  .  .  .  hath  He  reconciled.' ' 
The  power  of  Christian  doctrine  is  in 
Christian  experience.  Reconciled  men  are 
illustrations  of  the  doctrine  of  reconciliation. 
Go  into  the  sanctuary  of  your  own  minds 
if  you  would  understand  somewhat  of  the 
peace-bringing  power  of  the  Cross  of  Christ. 
The  doctrines  of  the  Saviour  are  to  be 
incarnated,  as  He  Himself  was.  As  He 
was  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily,  so 
His  followers  are  to  be  filled,  according  to 
their  capacity,  with  all  the  fulness  of  His 
grace.  The  Apostle  recognises  two  distinct 
periods  in  the  history  of  the  human  spirit: 

(1)  "You  that  were  sometime  alienated  and 
enemies  in  your  mind  by  wicked  works"; 

(2)  "Reconciled  in  the  body  of  His  flesh 
through  death,  to  present  you  holy  and  un- 
blameable  and  unreproveable  in  His  sight." 
What  nobler  challenge  could  be  addressed 
to  any  competitive  religion  than  that  it 
should  produce  as  its  proofs  loftiness  and 


46  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

beauty  of  character?  The  three  words 
chosen  by  Paul  are  "holy,"  "unblameable," 
and  "unreproveable."  These  are  the  ideals; 
these  are  the  standards.  These  words  are 
not  to  be  interpreted  by  the  dictionary — the 
standard  of  their  interpretation  is  set  forth 
by  the  Apostle  himself  in  the  striking  words, 
"in  His  sight."  We  are  not  to  be  clothed 
in  rags  of  our  own  manufacture.  We  are 
not  to  be  judged  by  outward,  mechanical, 
or  formal  appearances;  we  are,  in  reality, 
what  we  are  in  the  sight  of  Christ.  He 
will  know  our  virtues  and  our  vices;  He 
will  test  the  sincerity  of  our  motives,  and 
He  will  judge  with  all  pity  and  mercy  the 
circumstances  under  which  we  laboured. 
As  Christ  was  a  great  Saviour,  so  He  is  a 
great  Judge.  We  are  safe  in  His  hands. 
The  Apostle  continues,  with  his  usual 
caution,  to  insist  upon  a  vital  condition — 
"If  ye  continue  in  the  faith  grounded  and 
settled,  and  be  not  moved  away  from  the 
hope  of  the  gospel,  which  ye  have  heard, 
and  which  was  preached  to  every  creature 
which  is  under  heaven;  whereof  I  Paul 
am  made  a  minister."     Any  breach  of  the 


THE  COLOSSIANS  47 

conditions  would  jeopardise  all  the  promises, 
and  would  render  all  the  natural  issues  im- 
possible. We  must  "continue  in  the  faith." 
" Continue"  is  another  word  for  "grow." 
It  is  not  simply  stopping  in  one  place  as  a 
stone  might  remain  upon  a  given  spot;  it 
is  continuing  as  a  tree  continues,  always 
in  the  same  place,  yet  always  becoming 
stronger  and  more  fruitful.  If  the  figure 
be  changed  to  that  of  a  foundation,  as  is 
suggested  by  the  word  "grounded,"  the 
sense  of  the  first  figure  is  in  no  degree 
impaired,  because  the  foundation  is  living, 
and  they  are  living  stones  that  are  built 
upon  it.  We  are  to  find  our  continuity  in 
our  life;  as  Christ's  life  always  continues, 
so  our  life  must  be  continued  in  Him.  If 
we  sever  ourselves  from  Him,  our  reconcilia- 
tion ceases  to  be  a  fact,  and  our  former 
experience  is  degraded  into  a  dead  letter. 

The  Apostle  winds  up  this  part  of  his  letter 
(to  the  end  of  chapter  i.)  by  distinct  personal 
allusions  asserting  his  personal  ministry,  yet 
tracing  that  ministry  not  to  his  own  will, 
but  to  the  dispensation  of  God,  and  enriching 


48  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

that  ministry  with  all  the  grace  and  glory 
of  a  divine  bestowal.  The  Apostle  never 
refers  to  his  ministry  as  in  any  danger  of 
being  impoverished.  He  speaks  of  "the 
riches  of  the  glory  of  this  mystery."  The 
Apostle  finds  his  treasure  in  heaven.  He  is 
not  drawing  from  a  cistern;  he  is  relying 
upon  the  fountains  of  eternity.  He  is  in  no 
fear  of  his  ministry  running  out,  because  it 
is  not  his  ministry  in  any  sense  that  is  self- 
originated  on  his  part.  He  will  speak  God's 
word  down  to  his  latest  breath,  and  the  last 
word  he  speaks  will  be  as  energetic,  as 
tuneful,  and  as  tender  as  the  word  he  spoke 
in  the  fulness  of  his  strength.  The  Apostle 
uses  energetic  words  in  describing  the  range 
of  his  ministry — "I  labour,"  "I  strive,"  God 
"worketh  in  me  mightily."  The  ministry 
of  the  Apostle  had  a  divine  object  in  view; 
he  wished  to  present  every  man  perfect  in 
Christ  Jesus,  and  this  perfectness  is  only  to 
be  attained  through  warning,  and  teaching, 
and  striving.  Preaching  was  not  a  mere  con- 
templation; it  was  a  sacrifice — as  it  were, 
a  great  offering  of  blood,  the  outpouring  of 
the  red  wine  of  his  heart  upon  the  altar. 


THE  COLOSSIANS  49 

Ministers  are  not  gentlemen  at  leisure.  They 
do  not  do  twenty  other  things  and  preach. 
They  are  concerned  in  the  cure  of  souls,  and 
will  only  do  other  things  as  they  bear  upon 
that  sacred  and  immortal  issue.  The  Apostle 
Paul  took  no  pleasures,  no  recreations.  He 
had  no  off-days;  he  knew  nothing  about  our 
modern  holiday.  He  preached,  he  warned, 
he  taught,  he  strove.  What  wonder  that  in 
the  final  mists  which  fell  upon  his  closing 
eyes  he  saw  a  gleaming  of  the  crown  of  life! 

4 


CHAPTER  II 

Verse  1:  "For  I  would  that  ye  knew  what  great 
conflict  I  have  for  you,  and  for  them  at  Laodicea,  and 
for  as  many  as  have  not  seen  my  face  in  the  flesh." 

THE  first  verse  may  be  regarded  as  little 
more  than  local,  except  in  the  degree 
in  which  it  indicates  the  passionate  nature 
of  the  Apostle.  In  the  last  verse  of  the  first 
chapter  he  is  labouring  and  striving  according 
to  an  influenoe  which  is  working  mightily  in 
him.  This  influence  he  speaks  of  in  general 
terms  in  the  first  instance,  and  then  he 
localises  it  in  the  great  conflicts  which  he 
experienced  on  behalf  of  the  saints  at  Colosse, 
Laodicea,  and  Hierapolis.  Paul  was  not  only 
the  Apostle;  he  was,  so  to  say,  the  soldier 
of  the  churches,  always  fighting  and  suffering 
on  behalf  of  those  whom  he  would  make 
perfect  in  Christ  Jesus.  He  even  includes 
"as  many  as  have  not  seen  my  face  in  the 

50 


EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS     51 

flesh" — all  Christian  souls,  all  strugglers 
after  light  and  liberty.  As  characteristic  of 
Paul  it  is  noticeable  that  his  work  takes  the 
form  of  strife  and  conflict.  He  does  not 
turn  his  theology  into  a  dream.  His  doctrine 
is  no  mere  poem.  It  is  a  force,  an  inspira- 
tion, a  sacred  and  unquenchable  passion. 

Verses  2,  3:  "That  their  hearts  might  be  com- 
forted, being  knit  together  in  love,  and  unto  all  riches 
of  the  full  assurance  of  understanding,  to  the  acknow- 
ledgment of  the  mystery  of  God,  and  of  the  Father,  and 
of  Christ;  in  whom  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom 
and  knowledge." 

Here  is  the  Apostle's  character  depicted 
in  the  Apostle's  desire  or  prayer.  Here  is 
the  expression  of  supreme  spiritual  anxiety. 
This  is  no  desire  for  social  position  such  as 
the  Church  itself  has  often  striven  after. 
There  is  no  wish  here  for  increase  in  land, 
and  gold,  and  power.  This  is  not  the  utter- 
ance of  selfish  lust  fulness.  The  heart  is 
filled  with  a  solemn  and  overpowering  desire 
for  the  best  welfare  of  those  who  have  given 
themselves  to  Christ.  The  Apostle  prayed 
that  their  hearts  might  be  comforted — that 
is,  strengthened,  encouraged,  stimulated;  he 


52  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

also  prayed  that  they  might  be  knit  together 
in  love,  and  that  they  might  revel  in  the 
infinite  riches  of  the  mystery  of  grace.  He 
desired  that  the  saints  might  be  men  of 
wealth,  but  the  wealth  must  be  immaterial, 
spiritual,  divine.  The  Apostle  will  have 
nothing  that  is  merely  sentimental;  he 
prayed  for  a  "full  assurance  of  under- 
standing." He  would  have  renewed  souls 
enjoy  access  to  "all  the  treasures  of  wisdom 
and  knowledge."  These  treasures  are  hid  in 
God  and  in  Christ,  and  only  the  " initiated" 
can  enter  into  the  treasure-house  and  bring 
away  honest  and  useful  spoil. 

Verses  4,  5:  "And  this  I  say,  lest  any  man  should 
beguile  you  with  enticing  words.  For  though  I  be 
absent  in  the  flesh,  yet  am  I  with  you  in  the  spirit, 
joying  and  beholding  your  order,  and  the  stedfastness 
of  your  faith  in  Christ." 

The  " conflict"  in  which  Paul  was  engaged 
was  the  more  strenuous  that  he  was  well 
aware  that  other  workers  were  seeking  to 
render  his  own  service  of  none  effect.  He 
declares  that  the  reason  why  he  was  so 
anxious  for  the  spiritual  culture  of  the  saints 
was  that  they  were  exposed  to  the  seductions 


THE  COLOSSIANS  53 

of  false  philosophy  and  skilfully  applied  flat- 
tery. He  uses  the  word  "beguile,"  which 
indicates  a  process  of  reasoning  men  into 
wrong  notions  respecting  the  divine  life. 
He  also  speaks  of  " enticing  words" — per- 
suasions, allurements,  false  science,  and  all 
that  was  meant  by  what  was  then  known 
as  the  Gnostic  speculation.  All  young 
Christians  are  exposed  to  such  flattering 
assaults;  hence  the  need  of  age  and  experi- 
ence and  authority  in  the  Christian  Church. 
It  is  possible  to  be  absent  in  the  flesh  and 
yet  to  be  present  in  the  spirit.  The  Colos- 
sians  are  advised  that  in  the  best  sense  of 
the  term  the  Apostle  is  present  amongst 
them.  There  is  a  sympathetic  presence, 
there  is  a  spiritual  personality.  When  we 
go  wrong  in  doctrine  or  in  thought  we  offend 
a  thousand  spiritual  influences  whose  pres- 
ence we  do  not  recognise.  He  who  is  a 
wilful  heretic,  or  a  disobedient  disciple, 
offends  with  the  heaviest  insult  all  the  pre- 
ceded generations  of  faith  and  obedience. 
With  infinite  tact  the  Apostle  assures  the 
churches  that  he  is  seeing  the  very  best 
side  of  their  character.     He  does  not  come 


54  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

to  them  with  blame  or  rebuke;  he  beholds 
their  order  and  the  steadfastness  of  their 
faith  in  Christ.  The  Apostle  never  fails  in 
courtesy.  He  may  open  the  way  for  self- 
rebuke  on  the  part  of  those  who  are  made 
conscious  that  they  are  praised  beyond  their 
deserts;  but  herein  the  Apostle  is  only 
making  room  for  the  operation  of  conscience. 
The  Apostle  could  strike  with  a  heavy  hand 
when  necessity  required,  but  no  man  could 
make  more  generous  use  of  encouragements 
when  souls  needed  to  be  cheered  through 
some  night  of  gloom. 


Verses  6-8:  "As  ye  have  therefore  received 
Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  so  walk  ye  in  Him:  rooted 
and  built  up  in  Him,  and  stablished  in  the  faith,  as  ye 
have  been  taught,  abounding  therein  with  thanks- 
giving. Beware  lest  any  man  spoil  you  through 
philosophy  and  vain  deceit,  after  the  tradition  of 
men,  after  the  rudiments  of  the  world,  and  not  after 
Christ." 


Temptations  are  of  various  kinds — a  fact 
which  we  do  not  sufficiently  recognise.  It 
is  supposed  that  men  are  only  grossly 
tempted — tempted  to  crime,  to  outrage,  to 
open   acts   of   disobedience.     These   are   the 


THE  COLOSSIANS  55 

coarsest  temptations  of  the  devil.  The 
Apostle  now  deals  with  intellectual  and 
spiritual  temptations — temptations  to  doubt, 
to  invent,  to  philosophise,  to  offer  incense 
to  intellectual  vanity.  What  is  the  Apostle's 
protection  under  such  assaults  cunningly 
addressed  to  the  soul?  Observe  how  pro- 
foundly practical  and  far-reaching  is  his 
counsel!  He  would  have  the  Colossians 
rooted  and  built  up  in  Christ;  he  would 
have  them  firmly  established  and  grounded 
in  the  faith.  He  desires  that  they  may 
abound  in  faith  with  thanksgiving.  Paul 
would  have  no  man  double-minded  in  his 
religious  thought  and  inquiry.  He  does  not 
seek  for  uniformity  in  merely  intellectual 
opinion;  he  desires  that  souls  may  be  rooted 
and  built  up  in  Christ.  Philosophies  change, 
Christ  abides.  Leaves  come  and  go,  but 
the  root  remains.  This  is  the  very  pith  of 
Christianity,  for  the  soul  to  be  right  in  its 
relations  to  Christ.  Hold  on  to  the  truth 
of  which  you  have  been  assured,  and  do  not 
meddle  with  every  process  of  evolution. 
Faith  may  often  come  through  doubt,  but 
it  is  no  business  of  the  soul  to  create  doubts, 


56  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

to  multiply  and  encourage  them,  in  order 
that  it  may  secure  some  ultimate  blessing. 
The  Apostle  acknowledges  that  the  tempta- 
tions to  which  the  intellect  is  exposed  are 
subtle  and  flattering,  but  he  would  have 
them  treated  radically  and  finally  by  an 
ever-deepening  communion  with  the  Spirit 
of  Christ. 

From  this  point  to  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 
verse  the  Apostle  continues  his  exhortation, 
leading  the  minds  of  those  to  whom  he  wrote 
into  the  deepest  mysteries  of  the  faith.  He 
addresses  them  as  those  who  have  been 
brought  out  of  bondage  into  great  liberty — 
a  liberty  which  itself  was  an  enlarged 
bondage  in  the  degree  in  which  it  made 
the  soul  of  the  believer  more  and  more  a 
willing  and  grateful  slave  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  The  Apostle  would  seem  to  say, 
"  Never  forget  your  obligations  to  the  re- 
deeming and  forgiving  Christ;  never  forget 
that  Christ  blotted  out  what  before  stood 
against  us;  never  forget  that  Jesus  Christ 
took  up  our  past  life,  with  all  its  sins  and 
miseries,   and  nailed  it  to  His  cross;  never 


THE  COLOSSIANS  57 

forget  that  Jesus  Christ  spoiled  the  princi- 
palities and  powers  that  once  oppressed  us, 
that  He  shook  the  enemy  as  by  an  almighty 
hand,  and  that  He  openly  triumphed  over 
all  the  enemies  of  the  soul."  It  was  under 
such  convictions  and  persuasions  that  the 
Colossians  were  to  continue  their  course  of 
faith  and  progress.  There  is  no  better  policy 
now.  Blessed  be  God,  we  have  not  to  invent 
a  Gospel,  but  to  believe  one;  to  no  painted 
Christ  or  sculptured  Cross  has  the  soul  to 
go,  but  straight  away  to  the  living,  personal, 
loving  Redeemer. 

Verse   9 :    "  For   in   Him   dwelleth   all   the   fulness 
of  the  Godhead  bodily." 

This  is  the  most  explicit  declaration  of  the 
deity  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  whole  Scripture. 
Every  word  may  be  said  to  have  an  emphasis 
peculiar  to  itself.  Jesus  Christ  is  not  only 
the  subject  of  special  divine  inspiration — He 
is  the  incarnate  God.  In  Him  are  the  infinite 
resources  of  divine  wealth;  in  Him  the 
Godhead  has  taken  up  its  earthly  and  visible 
habitation.  God  said  that  He  would  dwell 
with  His  people,   and  here  it  is  expressly 


58  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

declared  that  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead 
dwells  with  Christ,  or  more  intensely  still 
dwells  in  Him  as  part  of  His  very  nature, 
part  of  His  essential  and  indestructible  sub- 
stance. The  Apostle  has  already  used  an 
expression  practically  equivalent:  "God  was 
pleased  that  in  Him  all  fulness  should  dwell." 
This  is  the  only  instance  in  which  the  entire 
fulness  of  God  is  embodied.  The  great 
message  to  the  heart  is  that  we  find  all  we 
need  in  the  Son  of  God.  His  are  the 
unsearchable  riches.  Of  his  fulness  have 
we  received  grace  upon  grace  like  billow 
upon  billow,  or  summer  upon  summer  of 
satisfaction,  and  glory,  and  bounty.  If  we 
are  straitened,  we  are  not  straitened  in  Christ, 
but  in  ourselves.  Let  us  then  in  faith  eat 
the  body  of  Christ  and  drink  His  blood,  and 
assure  ourselves  that  in  Him  we  have  inex- 
haustible grace.  Do  not  attempt  to  add 
anything  to  Christ.  Never  seek  to  construct 
a  supplement  to  the  provisions  of  the  Cross. 
Christ  is  full  of  grace  and  truth.  The 
glory  that  shone  in  Him  was  as  the  light 
of  the  Only-begotten  of  the  Father.  God 
did  not  ask  for  any  more  room  than  He 


THE  COLOSSIANS  59 

had  provided  for  Himself  in  the  person  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

Verse  10:  "And  ye  are  complete    in    Him,  which 
is  the  head  of  all  principality  and  power." 

This  necessarily  follows,  from  the  very 
nature  of  Christ,  if  so  be  we  have  received 
Christ  into  our  hearts.  The  literal  meaning 
is  that  we  ourselves  have  been  filled  up  in 
the  fulness  of  Christ.  All  the  divine  in- 
fluence which  we  realise  and  enjoy  we  receive 
directly  in  Christ  and  through  Christ.  Never 
forget  the  medium  of  divine  communication; 
and  always  remember  in  thanking  God,  or 
in  coming  before  God  in  the  confidence  and 
expectancy  of  prayer,  that  we  must  approach 
the  throne  through  the  Cross.  "Of  His 
fulness  have  we  all  received,  and  grace  for 
grace."  We  are  "made  the  righteousness  of 
God  in  Him."  For  He  is  "made  unto  us 
wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and  sanctification, 
and  redemption."  We  are  not  to  complete 
ourselves;  from  foundation  to  roof  we  are 
to  be  the  special  building  of  God.  How 
vividly  is  the  position  of  Jesus  Christ  de- 
scribed in  the  second  part  of  this  tenth  verse! 


60  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

— "the  head  of  all  principality  and  power." 
We  do  not  receive  our  supplies  from  secondary 
sources,  but  from  the  central  and  eternal 
fountain.  Our  Lord  is  not  described  in  terms 
of  humiliation.  Hear  the  noble  words  upon 
which  this  assurance  is  founded:  "God  also 
hath  highly  exalted  Him,  and  given  Him  a 
name  which  is  above  every  name."  Peter 
speaks  thus  of  his  Lord  and  ours:  "Who 
is  gone  into  heaven,  and  is  on  the  right  hand 
of  God;  angels  and  authorities  and  powers 
being  made  subject  unto  Him."  And  this 
is  our  Lord!  This  is  the  Fountain  that 
cannot  fail!  This  is  the  guarantee  of  our 
ultimate  maturity  and  perfectness! 


Verse  11:  "In  whom  also  ye  are  circumcised  with 
the  circumcision  made  without  hands,  in  putting  off 
the  body  of  the  sins  of  the  flesh  by  the  circumcision 
of  Christ." 


This  is  an  apparently  abrupt  and  irrelevant 
reference,  but  it  is  made  natural  and  expli- 
cable when  it  is  remembered  that  the  Apostle 
is  writing  to  people  who  were  tempted  to 
return  to  some  of  the  old  Jewish  observances. 
Paul  believed  in   circumcision,   but  it  was 


THE  COLOSSIANS  61 

circumcision  made  without  hands — a  spiritual 
cutting  and  sacrifice  without  which  we  cannot 
enter  into  the  separated  and  anointed  family 
of  God.  The  old  term  is  used  with  a  new 
meaning.  Now,  "he  is  a  Jew  which  is  one 
inwardly."  Christianity  has  done  away  with 
mere  formalism,  or  ritualism,  because  it  has 
established  itself  in  the  heart  as  the  supreme 
moral  force.  "Circumcision  is  that  of  the 
heart,  in  the  spirit,  and  not  in  the  letter; 
whose  praise  is  not  of  men,  but  of  God." 
From  the  beginning  this  had  been  the  purpose 
of  circumcision,  if  men  had  but  known  it,  for 
even  in  Deuteronomy  we  read:  "The  Lord 
thy  God  will  circumcise  thine  heart,  and  the 
heart  of  thy  seed,  to  love  the  Lord  thy  God." 
And  again  we  read,  both  in  Jeremiah  and  in 
Deuteronomy,  such  words  as,  "Circumcise 
yourselves  to  the  Lord,  and  take  away  the 
foreskins  of  your  heart."  Thus,  spiritual 
religion  is  the  originally  intended  issue  of 
divinely  appointed  formalities.  Now  the  knife 
is  done  away  with ;  now  bodily  brand  and  scar 
must  be  known  no  more — "For  we  are  the 
circumcision,  which  worship  God  in  the  spirit, 
and  rejoice  in  Christ  Jesus,   and  have  no 


62  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

confidence  in  the  flesh."  A  most  expressive 
figure  is  that  of  "  putting  off  the  body  of 
the  sins  of  the  flesh  by  the  circumcision  of 
Christ."  There  is  a  good  deal  of  "  putting 
off"  to  be  done  in  the  development  of  the 
Christian  life.  The  expression  "put  off"  is 
quite  common  with  the  Apostle  Paul:  "Put 
off  concerning  the  former  conversation  the 
old  man,  which  is  corrupt  according  to  the 
deceitful  lusts"  (Eph.  iv.  22).  "Ye also  put 
off  all  these:  anger,  wrath,  malice,  blas- 
phemy, filthy  communication  out  of  your 
mouth.  Lie  not  one  to  another,  seeing  that 
ye  have  put  off  the  old  man  with  his  deed0" 
(Col.  iii.  8,  9) 


Verses  12-15:  "Buried  with  Him  in  baptism, 
wherein  also  ye  are  risen  with  Him  through  the 
faith  of  the  operation  of  God,  who  hath  raised  Him 
from  the  dead.  And  you,  being  dead  in  your  sins 
and  the  uncircumcision  of  your  flesh,  hath  He 
quickened  together  with  Him,  having  forgiven  you 
all  trespasses;  blotting  out  the  handwriting  of  ordi- 
nances that  was  against  us,  which  was  contrary  to  us, 
and  took  it  out  of  the  way,  nailing  it  to  His  cross; 
and  having  spoiled  principalities  and  powers,  He 
made  a  show  of  them  openly,  triumphing  over  them 
in  it." 

Baptism  is  here  regarded  typically  and  as 


THE  COLOSSIANS  63 

pointing  to  something  richer  than  itself.  We 
are  to  be  buried  with  Christ  after  our  cruci- 
fixion with  Him.  Baptism  by  water  is  more 
spiritual  than  the  cutting  of  the  body  by 
knives,  and  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  more 
spiritual  than  baptism  by  water.  All  the  econ- 
omies and  dispensations  have  pointed  towards 
spiritual  completion.  Baptism  cannot  end  in 
water;  circumcision  cannot  end  in  surgery; 
cleansing  cannot  be  effected  by  soap  and 
water  and  nitre.  From  the  beginning  God's 
purpose  was  spiritual,  and  unless  we  have 
come  into  a  spiritual  appropriation  of  the 
Cross,  it  is  to  us  so  much  wood,  and  so  much 
iron,  without  spiritual  significance  and  force. 
Our  resurrection  with  Christ  is  "the  opera- 
tion of  God."  The  power  that  raised  Jesus 
Christ  from  the  dead  must  also  raise  us  not 
only  from  our  death  in  trespasses  and  sins, 
but  also  our  death  as  fellow-sufferers  with 
Christ.  In  a  special  sense  Christ  and  his 
believers,  or  followers,  may  be  said  to  be 
buried  in  the  same  tomb,  and  out  of  that 
tomb  all  are  raised  by  the  power  of  God — 
Christ  the  firstfruits  and  afterwards  those 
who  have  been  partakers  of  His  sufferings. 


64  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

The  Apostle  always  refers  to  sin  as  a 
destroyed  power,  to  death  as  a  vanquished 
foe,  to  our  former  corruption  as  an  offence 
that  has  been  taken  away  by  the  power  of 
Christ.  We  are  not  to  dwell  upon  our  sins  as 
if  they  were  unforgiven.  If  God  has  forgiven 
us  for  Christ's  sake,  it  is  no  business  of  ours  to 
be  raking  up  the  unholy  past.  The  hand- 
writing of  ordinances  that  was  against  us  has 
been  blotted  out.  "Having  abolished  in  his 
flesh  the  enmity,  even  the  law  of  command- 
ments contained  in  ordinances;  for  to  make  in 
Himself  of  twain  one  new  man,  so  making 
peace"  (Eph.  ii.  15).  We  ought  to  realise 
in  the  most  vivid  and  emphatic  manner  that 
we  are  forgiven  souls,  and  from  the  day  of 
our  forgiveness  we  should  date  the  certainty 
of  our  sonship  and  blessedness.  It  is  a  reflec- 
tion upon  God  to  be  continually  recalling  the 
evil  past.  God  himself  does  not  upbraid  us 
with  our  sins,  wherein  we  have  broken- 
heartedly  confessed  them  and  brought  them 
to  the  Cross  that  there  they  might  be  slain. 
Let  not  our  hearts  be  troubled :  we  believe  in 
God — let  us  have  still  more  living  and  trium- 
phant   faith    in    Christ.     Through    death 


THE  COLOSSIANS  65 

Christ  has  destroyed  "him  that  had  the  power 
of  death,  that  is,  the  devil"  (Heb.  ii.  14). 

Verses  16-18:  "Let  no  man  therefore  judge  you  in 
meat,  or  in  drink,  or  in  respect  of  an  holyday,  or  of 
the  new  moon,  or  of  the  sabbath  days:  which  are  a 
shadow  of  things  to  come;  but  the  body  is  of  Christ. 
Let  no  man  beguile  you  of  your  reward  in  a  voluntary 
humility  and  worshipping  of  angels,  intruding  into 
those  things  which  he  hath  not  seen,  vainly  puffed 
up  by  his  fleshly  mind." 

A  great  amount  of  trouble  is  made  possible 
by  pedantic  obedience  to  things  which  are  in 
themselves  at  once  transient  and  unprofitable. 
The  Colossian  Christians  were  troubled  by 
teachers  who  had  a  most  imperfect  knowledge 
of  the  purpose  of  the  great  Redemption.  They 
were  slaves  of  the  letter.  They  could  not 
see  that  religion  might  be  intensely  spiritual, 
having  risen  far  above  all  ceremony,  and 
ritual,  and  elementary  appointments  of  every 
kind.  The  Apostle  bids  the  Colossians  take 
heart  in  remembrance  of  the  fact  that  they 
were  living  members  of  the  living  body  of 
Christ.  "Why  dost  thou  judge  thy  brother? 
or  why  dost  thou  set  at  nought  thy  brother? 
for  we  shall  all  stand  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ.     For  it  is  written,  As  I  live, 

5 


66  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

saith  the  Lord,  every  knee  shall  bow  to  me, 
and  every  tongue  shall  confess  to  God.  So 
then  every  one  of  us  shall  give  account  of 
himself  to  God.  Let  us  not  therefore  judge 
one  another  any  more:  but  judge  this  rather, 
that  no  man  put  a  stumbling-block  or  an  oc- 
casion to  fall  in  his  brother's  way"  (Rom.  xiv. 
10-13).  The  Gospel  has  this  great  message 
which  it  would  deliver  to  the  inmost  heart  of 
its  humblest  believer:  "The  kingdom  of  God 
is  not  meat  and  drink ;  but  righteousness,  and 
peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost."  Much  of 
our  religious  trouble  would  be  dried  up  if  we 
attended  to  the  main  things  and  regulated  our 
lives  by  the  central  and  essential  principles  of 
the  kingdom  of  Christ.  The  Apostle  Paul 
gave  great  liberty  to  men,  according  to  the 
degree  of  their  faith  and  according  to  their 
spiritual  capacity:  "One  believeth  that  he 
may  eat  all  things:  another,  who  is  weak, 
eateth  herbs.  Let  not  him  that  eateth  despise 
him  that  eateth  not;  and  let  not  him  which 
eateth  not  judge  him  that  eateth :  for  God  hath 
received  him"  (Rom.  xiv.  2,  3).  There  have 
always  been  clever  people  in  the  Church 
whose  object  has  been  to  spoil  the  simplicity 


THE  COLOSSIANS  67 

of  faith.  They  have  had  fancies  of  their  own 
respecting  holydays,  and  new  moons,  and 
Sabbath  days.  They  have  had  in  their  souls 
the  very  genius  or  demon  of  deception.  They 
would  not  allow  the  simplicity  of  Christ 
to  stand  in  its  own  majesty.  The  Apostle 
cautions  Christian  worshippers  against  all 
such  foolishly  inventive  persons:  "This  I 
say,  lest  any  man  should  beguile  you  with 
enticing  words"  (Col.  ii.  4).  The  ritualism 
of  faith  has  been  its  paralysis,  if  not  its 
absolute  destruction.  Whatever  these  local 
references  may  mean,  we  have  corresponding 
temptations  in  our  own  time  by  which  souls 
are  greatly  troubled.  One  man  has  a 
garment,  another  a  vessel,  another  a  symbol, 
another  a  ritual,  another  a  prejudice — and  so 
on  almost  endlessly,  not  knowing  that  the  age 
of  shadows  has  passed  and  the  day  of  the 
abiding  reality  has  dawned.  In  the  next  verse 
the  Apostle  goes  to  the  root  of  the  matter. 

Verse  19:  "And  not  holding  the  head,  from 
which  all  the  body  by  joints  and  bands  having 
nourishment  ministered,  and  knit  together,  increaseth 
with  the  increase  of  God." 

This  is  the  great  defect  of  the  teaching 


68  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

upon  which  he  has  been  commenting.  All 
the  inventions  were  clever  enough,  but  they 
were  rendered  improper  and  nugatory  by  the 
fact  that  the  inventors  themselves  did  not 
hold  the  living  Head.  If  we  are  wrong  in 
the  matter  of  the  Headship  of  Christ,  no 
marvel  that  we  should  try  to  make  up  the 
error  or  the  deficiency  by  inventions  and 
fantasies  of  our  own.  The  Church  can  never 
be  right  until  it  is  right  in  relation  to  the 
Headship  of  Christ.  Who  is  Lord  of  the 
Church?  Who  redeemed  it?  Who  has  a 
right  to  control  it?  These  are  the  penetrating 
and  all-determining  questions.  A  beautiful 
figure  is  that  which  makes  the  Church  part 
of  the  very  body  of  Christ.  "Grow  up  into 
Him  in  all  things,  which  is  the  head, 
even  Christ:  from  whom  the  whole  body 
fitly  joined  together  and  compacted  by  that 
which  every  joint  supplieth,  according  to 
the  effectual  working  in  the  measure  of 
every  part,  maketh  increase  of  the  body 
unto  the  edifying  of  itself  in  love"  (Eph.  iv. 
15,  16). 

As  the  branch  is  to  the  vine,  so  are  we 
to  Christ.     The  limb  that  is  severed  from 


THE  COLOSSIANS  69 

the  body  must  decay  and  putrefy.     This  is 
the  basis  of  all  that  follows. 

Verses  20-23:  "Wherefore  if  ye  be  dead  with 
Christ  from  the  rudiments  of  the  world,  why,  as 
though  living  in  the  world,  are  ye  subject  to  ordi- 
nances, (Touch  not;  taste  not;  handle  not;  which  all 
are  to  perish  with  the  using;)  after  the  commandments 
and  doctrines  of  men?  Which  things  have  indeed  a 
show  of  wisdom  in  will  worship,  and  humility,  and 
neglecting  of  the  body;  not  in  any  honour  to  the 
satisfying  of  the  flesh." 

The  local  references  are  of  small  con- 
sequence to  the  men  of  to-day.  Probably 
we  shall  never  fully  know  the  meaning  of 
the  worshipping  of  angels,  and  the  perverted 
grace  known  as  "  voluntary  humility."  Still 
we  ourselves  may  have  tendencies  towards 
literalism  and  narrowness  of  interpretation 
which  ought  to  be  checked.  We  are  tempted 
by  the  spectacular.  It  is  in  our  very  nature 
to  wish  to  be  doing  something  to  show  how 
energetic  we  are  in  Christian  activity.  It  is 
so  difficult  for  the  soul  to  be  truly  humble 
and  to  live  upon  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  We  turn  the  Gospel  into  a  conundrum 
that  we  may  enjoy  the  intellectual  luxury 
of  endeavouring  to  answer  our  own  questions. 


70    EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS 

We  are  in  danger  of  appointing  men  to  invent 
commandments  and  doctrines  for  us.  The 
heart  loves  a  painted  cross,  or  a  crucifix 
fashioned  in  ivory,  or  a  dramatic  repetition 
of  all  that  is  meant  by  "Calvary."  My  soul, 
enter  thou  not  into  the  folly  of  these  men 
who  are  building  card  houses  of  their  own 
when  they  might  dwell  in  the  sanctuary  not 
made  with  hands !  As  to  inventions,  physical 
representations,  carnal  parodies — touch  not, 
taste  not,  handle  not.  All  such  things  perish 
with  the  using.  The  great  redemption  has 
been  completed:  enter  thou  into  the  house 
where  thou  canst  find  the  blood  which  alone 
cleanseth  from  all  sin.  As  for  the  fancies 
and  the  dreams  of  men,  touch  them  not, 
or  use  them  without  coming  under  their 
bondage.  Answer  not  the  enemy  in  words  of 
thine  own  invention;  set  thou  not  up  between 
thyself  and  the  foe  some  mechanical  inven- 
tions of  designing  men,  but  fight  the  devil 
with  the  Cross,  and  assuredly  he  shall  be 
trodden  under  foot. 


CHAPTER  III 

Verses  1-4:  "If  ye  then  be  risen  with  Christ, 
seek  those  things  which  are  above,  where  Christ 
sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God.  Set  your  affection 
on  things  above,  not  on  things  on  the  earth.  For  ye 
are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 
When  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  appear,  then 
shall  ye  also  appear  with  Him  in  glory." 

FOUR  times  is  the  name  of  Christ  repeated. 
The  Apostle  now  becomes  intensely 
spiritual,  expressing  his  deep  solicitude  for 
the  culture  and  strengthening  of  the  Christian 
heart.  It  must  not  be  overlooked  that  there 
is  a  sequence  in  the  exhortation  of  the  first 
verse.  The  two  great  commandments  of  the 
law  are  love  of  God  and  love  of  neighbour; 
so  in  this  experience  the  resurrection  with 
Christ  precedes  and  necessitates  the  growth 
of  the  life  in  heavenly  directions.  The  man 
who  has  not  known  the  power  of  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ  cannot  possibly  seek  those 
things  which  are  above.     The  eagle  cannot 

71 


72  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

fly  until  its  wings  be  grown;  no  more  can 
the  soul  seek  the  heavens  until  it  has  known 
what  it  is  to  share  the  resurrection  of  Christ. 
There  is  a  self -disappointing  aspiration.  It 
gets  no  higher  than  the  roof  of  the  house. 
It  cannot  fly  away  into  the  sanctuary  and 
the  bosom  of  God.  The  reason  of  such  dis- 
appointment is  that  the  aspiration  is  only 
a  phase  of  rationalism,  a  slavish  obedience 
to  certain  literal  formalities;  it  is  not  inspired 
by  the  enthusiasm  of  faith.  A  merely 
mechanical  power  knows  nothing  of  the  force 
of  gravitation.  No  more  does  the  piety  of 
mere  reason  know  the  mystery  of  fellowship 
with  God,  and  communion  with  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

It  is  worse  than  useless  to  tell  men  to  set 
their  affection  on  things  above,  not  on  things 
on  the  earth,  when  they  have  not  been  away 
with  Christ  in  the  solitude  of  the  tomb,  and 
when  they  have  not  come  up  from  that 
solitude  clothed  with  the  power  of  Christ's 
resurrection.  Exhortation  without  inspiration 
cannot  do  more  than  disturb  and  vex  the  soul. 
Do  not  go  to  the  seed  as  it  lies  in  the  seeds- 


THE  COLOSSIANS  73 

man's  box  and  exhort  it  to  bring  forth  leaf 
and  flower  and  fruit.  Until  it  is  planted  in 
the  earth,  and  brought  into  nutritive  relation 
to  the  appointed  ministries  of  nature,  it  must 
remain  without  development  and  increase. 
It  is  precisely  so  with  the  soul  of  man.  Man 
must  be  buried  with  Christ,  man  must  share 
the  very  tomb  of  Christ  in  its  highest  sym- 
bolism, and  man  must  be  consciously  one 
with  Christ  in  the  very  suffering  of  the  Cross, 
or  he  can  never  set  his  affection  on  things 
above. 

The  text  is  a  kind  of  challenge.  In  effect 
the  Apostle  says,  "  Prove  your  resurrection 
by  your  unworldliness,  your  aspiration  after 
God,  your  discontent  with  all  things  earthly, 
and  your  passionate  desire  to  realise  a 
heavenly  citizenship.  Where  Christ  is  we 
must  be.  When  Christ  is  dead  we  are  dead; 
when  Christ  rises  we  rise;  when  Christ,  who 
is  our  life,  shall  appear,  then  shall  ye  also 
appear  with  him  in  glory."  Christ  is  the  living 
force.  Christ  determines  everything.  We 
originate  nothing,  we  determine  nothing;  we 
are  dead  and  our  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in 


74  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

God.  Our  life  is  away  yonder  in  the  high 
heavens,  finding  its  centre,  its  sustenance,  its 
immortality  in  the  eternal  life  of  Christ. 


Verses  5-7:  "Mortify  therefore  your  members 
which  are  upon  the  earth;  fornication,  uncleanness, 
inordinate  affection,  evil  concupiscence,  and  covetous- 
ness,  which  is  idolatry.  For  which  things'  sake  the 
wrath  of  God  cometh  on  the  children  of  disobedience: 
in  the  which  ye  also  walked  sometime,  when  ye  lived 
in  them." 


Then  it  is  not  all  contemplation,  and 
sentiment,  and  poetry!  This  life  in  Christ 
means  discipline.  We  have  died  with 
Christ  that  we  might  obtain  the  power  of 
Christ,  and  we  are  to  use  that  power  in 
destroying  the  works  of  the  flesh  and  the 
influence  of  the  devil.  By  the  power  of 
Christ's  resurrection  we  have  been  brought 
to  the  use  of  strenuous,  penetrating,  con- 
tinual discipline.  Discipline  has  to  do  for 
the  body  what  resurrection  with  Christ 
has  done  for  the  soul.  We  are  raised  again 
with  Christ  that  we  may  begin,  continue, 
and  complete  a  great  fight  or  sacrifice. 
We  are  to  practise  a  large  spiritual  surgery. 
It  is  in  vain  that  we  profess  to  have  risen 


THE  COLOSSIANS  75 

with  Christ  if  the  body  is  to  have  its  own 
way.  Because  we  have  risen  with  Christ  is 
sin  to  be  permitted  to  abound?  God  forbid. 
We  are  called  upon  to  make  ourselves 
examples  and  living  illustrations  of  what 
is  meant  by  an  inward  and  spiritual  grace. 
If  a  man  say  that  he  has  risen  with  Christ, 
and  is  still  allowing  the  lower  nature  to 
have  its  own  way,  that  man  is  lying  to  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Our  spiritual  experience  does 
not  end  our  bodily  discipline;  on  the  con- 
trary, it  but  begins  that  exacting  and  sin- 
subduing  process.  The  Christian  method  is 
not  to  proceed  from  the  body  to  the  soul, 
but  from  the  soul  to  the  body.  Reason 
might  have  said,  "  Conquer  your  lower 
nature,  and  then  proceed  to  bring  your 
spiritual  nature  into  subjection."  That  is 
the  common  way  of  man.  He  thinks  it  is 
logical  and  cumulative.  Christ  pronounces 
it  to  be  illogical  and  impossible.  Christ 
would  make  the  tree  good  that  He  might 
make  the  fruit  good.  Christ  does  not  work 
from  the  fruit  to  the  root;  he  works  from 
the  root  to  the  fruit.  Thus  the  Christian 
lives  a  kind  of  double  experience.     At  the 


76  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

very  moment  that  he  rejoices  in  his  resur- 
rection with  Christ,  he  is,  in  the  power  of 
that  resurrection,  maiming  and  slaying  all 
that  is  evil  in  his  body. 

A  very  fine  distinction  is  drawn  in  the 
seventh  verse — the  distinction  between 
"walk"  and  " living."  The  Apostle  reminds 
the  Colossians  that  they  walked  in  the  things 
in  which  they  lived.  Now  he  would  destroy 
the  " living"  that  he  might  also  put  an 
end  to  the  "walking."  It  is  possible,  as 
experience  may  be  called  upon  to  testify, 
to  walk  in  certain  habits,  or  to  yield  to 
certain  propensities,  without  willingly  and 
consentingly  "living"  in  them.  Man  does 
not  get  rid  of  his  evil  nature  at  once. 
Many  a  man  may  be  tempted,  and  may 
even  be  overcome  in  spite  of  the  remon- 
strance and  rebuke  of  conscience.  Man  is 
no  stronger  than  his  weakest  point;  so  it 
always  happens  that  the  weakness  of  the 
body  hinders  or  confuses,  or  postpones,  the 
progress  of  the  soul.  A  man  may  do  evil 
without  the  consent  of  his  own  will.  The 
Apostle  Paul  has  illustrated  this  conflicting 


THE  COLOSSIANS  77 

and   tormenting   experience   in   the   seventh 
chapter  of  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans. 


Verses  8-10:  "But  now  ye  also  put  off  all 
these;  anger,  wrath,  malice,  blasphemy,  filthy  com- 
munication out  of  your  mouth.  Lie  not  one  to 
another,  seeing  that  ye  have  put  off  the  old  man 
with  his  deeds;  and  have  put  on  the  new  man, 
which  is  renewed  in  knowledge  after  the  image  of 
Him  that  created  him." 


Now  comes  the  great  change.  All  these 
evil  things,  like  so  many  garments,  are  torn 
off  the  soul  and  thrown  away  in  anger  and 
disgust.  Never  forget  that  we  have  all 
come  out  of  a  state  of  heathenism.  We 
have  received  the  devil's  baptism.  We  have 
been  dragged  after  Satan,  captives  of  his 
will.  Here,  then,  is  the  true  point  or 
standard  of  judgment.  In  estimating  our 
progress  we  must  never  forget  the  point 
we  started  from.  In  estimating  the  volume 
and  quality  of  our  life  we  must  call  to  mind 
the  fact  that  we  were  once  dead  in  trespasses 
and  sins.  In  an  absolute  sense  a  man  may 
be  steeped  in  wickedness  even  while  pro- 
fessing to  have  received  the  Christian  faith; 
but  in  a  relative  sense  his  very  poor  and 


78  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

halting  morality  may  mark  a  great  step  in 
advance.  Character  must  be  judged  as  a 
kind  of  self-comparison.  What  was  I  to 
begin  with?  What  was  my  condition  ten 
years  ago?  If  evil  is  still  clinging  to  me, 
is  it  clinging  with  my  will  or  against  it? 
Do  I  welcome  the  devil  or  resist  him? 

The  great  comfort  is  in  the  tenth  verse, 
in  which  the  Christian  character  is  repre- 
sented not  in  a  state  of  negation,  but  in  a 
positive  relation  to  Jesus  Christ.  There  is 
not  only  a  putting  off — there  is  a  putting  on. 
"Ye  have  put  off  the  old  man  with  his 
deeds;  and  have  put  on  the  new  man" — 
literally,  the  young  man,  the  youthful  man, 
the  man  who  is  full  of  energy,  aspiration, 
and  sacred  passion.  Christianity  identifies 
itself  with  youth,  and  renewal,  and  with 
vernal  promises  of  a  glorious  summer  beauty 
and  fruitfulness.  Having  referred  to  the 
great  liberty  which  the  soul  acquires  in 
Christ  Jesus — having  abolished  Greek  and 
Jew,  circumcision  and  uncircumcision,  Bar- 
barian, Scythian,  bond  and  free,  and  having 
declared  the  infinitely  sublime  doctrine  that 


THE  COLOSSIANS  79 

Christ  is  all,  and  in  all — the  Apostle  proceeds 
thus  in  his  practical  exhortation: 

Verses  12,  13:  "Put  on  therefore,  as  the  elect  of 
God,  holy  and  beloved,  bowels  of  mercies,  kindness, 
humbleness  of  mind,  meekness,  longsuff ering ;  for- 
bearing one  another,  and  forgiving  one  another,  if 
any  man  have  a  quarrel  against  any:  even  as  Christ 
forgave  you,  so  also  do  ye." 

Thus  is  the  reality  of  the  Christian  life 
to  be  proved,  and  thus  are  men  to  be 
approached  with  really  effective  appeals  on 
the  matter  of  discipline  and  growth.  How 
tender  the  Apostle  is!  He  describes  the 
Christians  to  whom  he  writes  as  "the  elect 
of  God,  holy  and  beloved."  This  defines 
somewhat  of  the  range  and  function  of 
divine  election.  One  would  suppose  that  if 
people  were  " elect  of  God"  they  would  be 
above  pastoral  exhortation;  certainly  one 
would  suppose  that  if  men  were  "holy  and 
beloved"  they  needed  no  further  grace  and 
no  further  virtue.  We  are  forbidden  to  gild 
refined  gold,  or  to  paint  the  lily — the  poet 
will  not  allow  such  works  of  supererogation; 
yet  here  the  Apostle  Paul,  the  wisest  of  the 
poets   and   the   strongest   of   the   logicians, 


80  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

describes  men  as  " elect,  holy  and  beloved," 
and  then  urges  them  towards  mercies,  kind- 
ness, humbleness  of  mind,  meekness,  long- 
suffering,  and  towards  forbearance  and 
charity.  We  are  thrown  back  upon  the 
doctrine  that  sometimes  the  Christian  is 
to  be  taken  in  the  ideality  rather  than  in 
the  prose  and  commonplace  of  his  experience. 
We  might  reverse  the  appeal,  and  say,  put 
on  bowels  of  mercies,  kindness,  humbleness 
of  mind,  meekness,  longsuffering,  and  thus 
become  "the  elect  of  God,  holy  and  beloved." 
The  Apostle  pursues  a  directly  opposite 
course;  he  appeals  to  the  ideal  man  that 
he  may  assist  the  real  man.  He  gives  men 
a  new  motive,  a  new  impulse,  by  calling  up 
their  best  self-hood,  their  spiritual  person- 
ality as  God  Himself  views  it.  Sometimes 
God  gives  strength,  and  sometimes  He  calls 
upon  men  to  put  on  their  strength.  The 
action  is  double  and  co-operative;  so  some- 
times God  tells  man  how  beloved  he  is  in 
heaven  in  order  that  he  may  become  better 
upon  the  earth.  Eternity  must  help  time, 
and  time  must  dignify  itself  by  remembering 
the  eternity  out  of  which  it  came. 


THE  COLOSSIANS  81 

Here  is  the  sublimest  appeal  that  can  be 
addressed  to  human  intelligence  and  affection, 
''Even  as  Christ  forgave  you,  so  also  do  ye." 
We  are  inspired  and  strengthened  in  the 
degree  in  which  we  go  to  Christ  not  only 
for  doctrine,  but  for  example.  Life  without 
forgiveness  would  be  a  constantly  increasing 
cloud  and  fear.  Forgiveness  renews  life, 
calls  back  vanished  youthfulness,  throws 
open  the  radiant  gates  of  new  opportunities. 
Men  may  know  that  they  are  growing  in 
grace  in  the  degree  in  which  they  are  pre- 
pared to  exercise  the  grace  and  duty  of 
forgiveness.  "If  ye  forgive  men  their  tres- 
passes, your  heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive 
you."  Not  how  I  would  forgive,  but  how 
Christ  would  forgive,  must  be  the  rule  and 
standard  of  conduct.  The  frailty  of  human 
nature  is  recognised  in  the  thirteenth  verse. 
Mutual  forbearance  is  everywhere  required. 
Occasions  of  offence  will  arise  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  manifold  life  which  men  are 
called  upon  to  live:  these  occasions  do  not 
violate  the  fundamental  charter  of  election 
upon  which  our  spiritual  manhood  is  held. 
Occasions  of  offence  are  so  many  opportunities 

6 


82  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

of  grace.  Let  no  man  wantonly  regard  his 
election  as  a  licence  to  sin.  The  Apostle  is 
very  explicit  upon  this  point  in  his  letter 
to  the  Ephesians:  "He  hath  chosen  us  in 
Him  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  that 
we  should  be  holy  and  without  blame  before 
Him  in  love"  (Eph.  i.  4).  Election  does 
not  entitle  us  to  exercise  severity  towards 
those  who  offend  us.  In  the  degree  in  which 
we  are  conscious  of  pride  we  may  suspect 
the  validity  of  our  election.  "Be  ye  kind 
one  to  another,  tender-hearted" — not  only 
kind  in  an  ordinary  way,  but  kind  even  to 
tender-heartedness.  The  inspired  writers  do 
not  shrink  from  the  use  of  these  compound 
words,  and  indeed  their  use  is  most  en- 
couraging and  profitable.  For  example, 
God's  kindness  is  "loving-kindness,  "and  God's 
mercy  is  "tender-mercy,"  and  true  piety  is 
"tender-heartedness."  Love  requires  these 
hyperbolic  forms  of  expression  in  order  to 
indicate  its  range  and  intensity. 

Verse    14:    "And   above   all   these  things    put   on 
charity,  which  is  the  bond  of  perfectness." 

The  expression  "above  all"  is  more  liter- 
ally   "over    all" — above    all    as    an    upper 


THE  COLOSSIANS  83 

garment  covers  an  under  garment.  Love  is 
to  unite  the  whole  character;  it  is  the  golden 
cincture  which  grasps  all  the  jewels  of  our 
best  life.  There  were  teachers  who  held 
that  wisdom  was  supreme;  they  maintained 
that  knowledge  was  the  greatest  glory  of 
the  human  mind.  The  Scriptures  tell  us  that 
knowledge  shall  vanish  away,  but  that  love 
shall  abide  in  imperishable  survival  all  the 
wreck.  Do  not  glory  in  your  knowledge, 
in  your  genius,  or  in  your  wealth,  or  in 
any  circumstances  external  and  perishable; 
but  rejoice  in  love,  in  sympathy  with  the 
heart  of  Christ,  in  oneness  with  the  character 
of  God.  Love  is  the  bond  of  perfectness,  love 
thinketh  no  evil.  "  Beloved,  let  us  love  one 
another:  for  love  is  of  God;  and  every  one 
that  loveth  is  born  of  God,  and  knoweth 
God."  If  we  think  we  can  enter  into  fellow- 
ship with  God  through  knowledge,  as  a 
triumph  of  intellectual  genius  and  power, 
we  deceive  ourselves.  "He  that  loveth  not 
knoweth  not  God;  for  God  is  love." 

Verse  15:  "And  let  the  peace  of  God  rule  in  your 
hearts,  to  the  which  also  ye  are  called  in  one  body: 
and  be  ye  thankful." 


84  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

The  peace  of  God  in  this  passage  means 
the  peace  of  Christ.  We  are  to  be  at  peace 
in  Christ  and  with  Christ,  being  reconciled 
in  Him  as  we  have  been  reconciled  by  Him. 
This  peace  shall  be  the  referee  by  whose  word 
every  battle  shall  be  decided.  The  peace  of 
Christ  is  to  arbitrate  in  all  the  collisions  and 
conflicts  of  life.  We  are  not  to  do  anything 
that  would  flutter  the  holy  heart.  If  we 
encourage  any  temper  or  pursue  any  course 
that  would  disturb  the  peace  of  Christ,  we 
may  know  by  that  sign  that  our  temper  is 
wrong  and  that  our  ambition  draws  us  in 
wrong  directions. 

Verse  16:  "Let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you 
richly  in  all  wisdom;  teaching  and  admonishing  one 
another  in  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs, 
singing  with  grace  in  your  hearts  to  the  Lord." 

The  word  of  Christ  corresponds  with  the 
peace  of  Christ.  We  often  hear  of  the  word 
of  the  Lord  and  of  the  word  of  God,  but  in 
this  case  we  hear  of  the  word  of  Christ  as 
if  it  were  of  equal  scope  and  authority.  "If 
ye  abide  in  Me,  and  My  words  abide  in  you, 
ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done 
unto  you."     The  word  of  Christ  is  to  dwell 


THE  COLOSSIANS  85 

in  us  in  all  wisdom;  there  is  a  place  for 
intelligence  in  the  development  of  the  soul: 
we  are  to  love  the  Lord  our  God  not  only 
with  all  our  heart,  but  with  all  our  mind. 
We  find  the  word  of  Christ  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  not  only  in  the  four  Gospels,  but 
in  Moses,  and  the  Prophets,  and  the  Psalms. 
We  teach  what  we  know;  we  sing  what  we 
hope.  Christianity  is  a  religion  of  music. 
We  are  to  speak  to  ourselves  in  psalms  and 
hymns  and  spiritual  songs,  singing  and 
making  melody  in  our  heart  to  the  Lord 
(Eph.  v.  19).  Emotion  must  find  expression. 
Religious  emotion  is  likely  to  find  expression 
in  psalm  and  song,  and  every  form  and 
manner  of  musical  utterance.  It  is  all  but 
impossible  to  be  at  once  faithful  and  dumb. 
It  is  impossible  to  enjoy  the  peace  of  Christ 
without  raising  a  hymn  or  anthem  in  celebra- 
tion of  His  presence.  But  emotion  is  not  to 
perish  like  an  exhalation — it  has  a  disciplinary 
aspect,  as  we  see  in  the  words  immediately 
following. 

Verse  17:  "And  whatsoever  ye  do  in  word  or 
deed,  do  all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  giving 
thanks  to  God  and  the  Father  by  Him." 


86  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

Once  more  the  Gospel  is  brought  into 
educational  contact  with  the  daily  life. 
Word  and  deed  are  alike  to  be  sanctified. 
When  we  stand  up  or  sit  down  we  are  to 
do  so  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  When 
we  garner  our  harvest  we  are  to  sing  a  loud 
doxology.  When  the  child  is  born  or  the 
aged  pilgrim  is  called  home  we  are  to  sing 
a  song  of  thankfulness.  The  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  not  a  partial  standard,  or  counsellor, 
or  helper.  Note  the  "whatsoever."  Note 
"word  or  deed."  All  life  is  to  be  religious. 
Every  breath  is  to  be  a  prayer.  Every  look 
to  the  high  hills  is  to  express  a  desire  to  be 
more  and  more  in  fellowship  with  Him  whose 
sanctuary  is  founded  upon  them. 

Verses  18-22:  "Wives,  submit  yourselves  unto 
your  own  husbands,  as  it  is  fit  in  the  Lord.  Hus- 
bands, love  your  wives,  and  be  not  bitter  against 
them.  Children,  obey  your  parents  in  all  things: 
for  this  is  well  pleasing  unto  the  Lord.  Fathers, 
provoke  not  your  children  to  anger,  lest  they  be  dis- 
couraged. Servants,  obey  in  all  things  your  masters 
according  to  the  flesh;  not  with  eyeservice,  as  men- 
pleasers;  but  in  singleness  of  heart,  fearing  God." 

It  would  be  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  all 
these  exhortations  and  counsels  are  so  much 


THE  COLOSSIANS  87 

small  talk  on  the  part  of  the  Apostle.  He 
is  not  appearing  in  a  grandfatherly  capacity. 
When  the  passage  is  properly  read  it  will  be 
discovered  that  he  is  just  as  dignified  here  as 
in  any  other  part  of  his  Epistle.  This  would 
be  a  poor  ending  to  so  high  a  mood  and  so 
divine  a  contemplation.  Going  back  upon 
the  spring  and  reason  of  these  exhortations, 
we  shall  find  that  they  are  suggested  and 
controlled  by  the  love  of  Christ.  That  is 
the  underlying  ground  of  all  the  Apostle's 
argument  and  persuasion,  here  and  elsewhere, 
throughout  his  addresses  and  letters. 

The  wife  is  not  to  submit  herself  to  her 
husband  simply  as  a  matter  of  legal  com- 
pulsion or  even  of  natural  sequence;  her 
submission  is  to  be  "as  it  is  fit  in  the  Lord." 
If  the  wife  loves  the  Saviour,  loves  Him  who 
"became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death 
of  the  cross,"  she  will  have  no  delight  in  the 
assertion  and  domination  of  her  own  will. 
Obedience  to  Christ  makes  all  lawful  sub- 
mission, and  all  natural  dependence,  easy  and 
even  delightful. 

Husbands  cannot  love  their  wives  as  a  mere 


88  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

matter  of  law,  as  who  should  say,  "I  dislike 
to  do  this — it  goes  quite  against  the  grain 
for  me  to  do  it;  but  for  law's  sake,  and  for 
decency's  sake,  I  must  at  least  appear  to 
do  it  and  so  escape  from  social  criticism 
and  rebuke," — here,  again,  it  is  the  love  of 
Christ  that  constrains,  ennobles,  and  sanctifies. 
"  Husbands,  love  your  wives,  even  as  Christ 
also  loved  the  church,  and  gave  Himself  for 
it;  that  He  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it 
with  the  washing  of  water  by  the  word,  that 
he  might  present  it  to  Himself  a  glorious 
church.  .  .  .  Let  every  one  of  you  in  par- 
ticular so  love  his  wife  even  as  himself" 
(Eph.  v.  25-27,  33). 

Children  are  to  be  brought  up  to  accept 
the  discipline  of  obedience.  To  obey  well  is 
ultimately  to  rule  well.  Here,  again,  a  great 
religious  reason  is  urged  upon  the  minds  of 
children.  There  is  a  natural  obedience, 
there  is  a  conventional  obedience,  there  is 
a  concession  of  obedience — but  all  these 
forms  of  obedience  must  give  place  to  the 
contention  of  the  Apostle:  "for  this  is  well- 
pleasing  unto  the  Lord."     The  Lord  is  the 


THE  COLOSSIANS  89 

Father  of  us  all.  If  we  do  not  obey  reli- 
giously, we  cannot,  with  any  enduring  effect, 
obey  socially.  On  another  occasion  the  same 
Apostle  gave  the  same  reason  in  other  words : 
"Children,  obey  your  parents  in  the  Lord: 
for  this  is  right"  (Eph.  vi.  1).  In  the 
earlier  dispensations  children  were  urged 
to  obedience  on  the  ground  "that  thy  daj^s 
may  be  long  upon  the  land  which  the  Lord 
thy  God  giveth  thee."  In  the  Christian 
dispensation  the  reason  rises  to  an  infinitely 
higher  level,  intensely  expressed  in  the  words 
"for  this  is  right." 

As  there  is  a  duty  for  children,  so  there 
is  a  duty  for  parents.  Parents  are  not  to 
exasperate  and  anger  their  children.  Parental 
relationship  gives  no  right  to  vex  and  harass, 
and  arbitrarily  humble  the  children  of  the 
house.  A  special  reason  is  brought  to  bear 
upon  parents,  a  reason  as  tender  in  its  senti- 
ment as  it  is  philosophical  in  its  concep- 
tion— "lest  they  be  discouraged."  Children 
are  easily  disheartened.  Some  flowers  can 
only  live  in  the  sunshine.  Parents  should 
remember  that  children  have  weaknesses  of 


90  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

their  own,  and  parents  should  specially 
remember  that  some  of  the  weaknesses  of 
the  child  may  be  due  to  the  parents  them- 
selves. Some  plants  soon  wither  under  the 
blight  of  the  east  wind.  The  man  who  has 
given  his  child  a  weak  constitution  should  be 
very  pitiful  and  gentle  in  his  treatment  of 
that  constitution  and  all  that  flows  from  it. 
Parental  tyranny  is  one  of  the  worst  fruits 
of  the  devil.  Children  remember  the  cruelties 
by  which  their  early  days  were  darkened,  and 
it  may  be  that  such  memory  will  haunt  them 
and  discourage  them  throughout  all  the  days 
of  their  lives. 

The  relation  of  master  and  servant  can 
never  be  finally  determined  and  controlled 
except  on  the  principles  which  Jesus  Christ 
embodied  and  expounded.  Society  can  never 
be  regenerated  by  programme,  or  by  external 
policy  of  any  kind ;  it  can  only  be  regenerated 
by  the  grace  of  God.  Service  must  not  be 
looked  upon  as  degradation.  The  difficulty 
and  the  curse  of  to-day  in  this  matter  is  that 
work  is  considered  a  degradation.  To  the 
end  of  the  world  we  must  have  high  and  low, 


THE  COLOSSIANS  91 

master  and  servant,  leader  and  follower — for 
this  is  the  law  of  history  and  of  Providence. 
aTo  one  man  is  given  five  talents,  to  another 
two,  to  another  one."  In  this  reference  to 
master  and  slave  is  there  any  delicate 
recognition  of  the  former  character  and  the 
former  disobedience  of  Onesimus,  who  is  sup- 
posed to  have  carried  this  letter  to  Colosse? 
Delicately  the  Apostle  represents  the  once 
runaway  Onesimus  as  a  converted  man,  and 
he  beseeches  Philemon  to  receive  Onesimus 
"not  now  as  a  servant,  but  above  a  servant, 
a  brother  beloved,  specially  to  me,  but  how 
much  more  unto  thee,  both  in  the  flesh,  and 
in  the  Lord?"  (Philem.  16.)  Onesimus, 
though  a  Christian,  was  also  a  servant  or  slave. 
Servitude  accepted  as  an  unavoidable  degra- 
dation is  one  thing,  but  service  accepted  in 
the  spirit  of  Christ  and  for  the  sake  of  Christ 
is  ennobled  and  sanctified. 

Verses  23-25:  "And  whatsoever  ye  do,  do  it 
heartily,  as  to  the  Lord,  and  not  unto  men;  knowing 
that  of  the  Lord  ye  shall  receive  the  reward  of  the 
inheritance:  for  ye  serve  the  Lord  Christ.  But  he 
that  doeth  wrong  shall  receive  for  the  wrong  which 
he  hath  done:  and  there  is  no  respect  of  persons." 

Still  the  Apostle  grounds  this  argument  on 


92  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

purely  Christian  considerations.  All  service 
is  to  be  rendered  as  unto  the  Lord;  "ye  serve 
the  Lord  Christ."  "  Whether  we  live,  we 
live  unto  the  Lord."  Even  the  slave  who 
obeys  in  the  spirit  of  Christ  shall  not  be 
denied  the  enjoyment  of  an  appropriate  har- 
vest. "  Knowing  that  whatsoever  good  thing 
any  man  doeth,  the  same  shall  he  receive 
of  the  Lord,  whether  he  be  bond  or  free" 
(Eph.  vi.  8).  We  are  to  stand  towards  Christ 
in  the  relation  of  slaves  and  also  in  the 
relation  of  God's  freemen. 

"If  any  man  serve  Me,  let  him  follow  Me; 
and  where  I  am,  there  shall  also  my  servant 
be:  if  any  man  serve  Me,  him  will  My 
Father  honour"  (John  xii.  26).  Do  not 
concern  yourselves  beyond  what  is  meet,  and 
beyond  what  is  necessary  to  the  security  of 
society,  about  wrongdoers  and  breakers  of 
the  law.  Whoever  does  wrong  shall  reap  a 
natural  harvest  without  respect  of  persons: 
God  "  judgeth  according  to  every  man's  work" 
(1  Peter  i.  17).  Temporary  laws,  social 
arrangements,  fixed  penalties,  have  all  been 
rendered  necessary  by  civilization.     Beyond 


THE  COLOSSIANS  93 

the  statute  book  of  man  is  the  judgment  book 
of  God.  God's  law  includes  all  other  law 
that  is  just  and  righteous,  and  goes  beyond 
all  other  law  in  that  it  can  penetrate  to  the 
inmost  nature  and  work  out  spiritual  penal- 
ties. "Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall 
he  also  reap."  "We  must  all  appear  before 
the  judgment  seat  of  Christ;  that  every  one 
may  receive  the  things  done  in  his  body, 
according  to  that  he  hath  done,  whether  it  be 
good  or  bad"  (2  Cor.  v.  10). 


CHAPTER  IV 

Verse  1:  "Masters,  give  unto  your  servants  that 
which  is  just  and  equal;  knowing  that  ye  also  have 
a  Master  in  heaven." 

IT  is  no  new  sentiment  with  the  Apostle 
Paul  that  masters  should  treat  their 
servants  in  a  spirit  of  equity.  Here,  as 
before,  a  profoundly  religious  reason  is  given 
— "  knowing  that  ye  also  have  a  Master  in 
heaven."  It  is  quite  true  that  masters  and 
slaves  have  been  known  from  the  earliest 
Bible  ages,  but  it  is  not  always  sufficiently 
remembered  that  the  law  of  equity  is  as 
old  as  the  custom  of  servitude.  "Thou 
shalt  not  rule  over  him  with  rigour;  but 
shalt  fear  thy  God"  (Lev.  xxv.  43).  "Thou 
shalt  remember  that  thou  wast  a  bondman 
in  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  the  Lord  thy 
God  redeemed  thee"  (Deut.  xv.  15).  The 
same  consideration  of  equity  inspired  the 
question  which  is  so  clearly  written  in  the 

94 


EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS    95 

Book  of  Job,  "Did  not  He  that  made  me 
in  the  womb  make  him?  and  did  not  one 
fashion  us  in  the  womb?"  (Job  xxxi.  15.) 
Surely  the  Apostle  has  something  special  in 
his  mind  in  this  exhortation.  Is  he  about 
to  plead  for  some  special  grace?  Is  it  his 
ardent  desire  to  melt  some  obstinate  heart? 
Has  he  any  one  special  in  his  mind?  Is 
he  thinking  of  Philemon  and  Onesimus? 


Verses  2-4:  "Continue  in  prayer,  and  watch  in 
the  same  with  thanksgiving;  withal  praying  also  for 
us,  that  God  would  open  unto  us  a  door  of  utterance, 
to  speak  the  mystery  of  Christ,  for  which  I  am  also 
in  bonds:  that  I  may  make  it  manifest,  as  I  ought 
to  speak." 


Again  the  Apostle  becomes  intensely  reli- 
gious. Men  who  continue  in  prayer  and  in 
thanksgiving  are  not  likely  to  be  severe  to 
their  fellow-creatures.  When  the  spirit  loses 
the  disposition  of  prayer  it  is  not  unlikely 
to  be  hard,  resentful,  and  exacting.  The 
Apostle  never  approved  intermittent  prayer. 
"Pray  without  ceasing."  "Praying  always 
with  all  prayer  and  supplication  in  the  Spirit, 
and  watching  thereunto  with  all  perseverance 
and  supplication  for  all  saints"  (Eph.  vi.  18). 


96  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

He  who  is  an  intercessor  is  likely  to  be 
clement  and  gracious  towards  his  fellow- 
men.  "Men  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not 
to  faint."  This  is  the  true  culture  of  the 
soul.  Prayer  is  not  incessant  asking,  but 
incessant  communion  with  God.  "  Even- 
ing, and  morning,  and  at  noon,  will  I  pray" 
(Ps.  lv.  17).  This  is  only  the  Psalmist's 
way  of  saying  that  the  whole  day  is  con- 
secrated to  the  enjoyment  and  privilege  of 
divine  fellowship. 

We  are  not  to  live  only  in  the  general 
atmosphere  of  prayer;  we  are  to  come  into 
particulars,  and  to  plead  for  special  per- 
sonalities and  urgent  necessities.  Even  the 
greatest  of  the  Apostles  desired  that  he 
might  live  in  the  prayerful  sympathy  of  the 
humblest  Christians.  He  regarded  God  as 
the  keeper  of  his  lips  and  the  sentinel  of 
his  mouth,  and  he  prayed  his  brethren  to 
supplicate  God  on  his  behalf  for  the  gift 
of  utterance,  that  he  might  speak  not  some 
poor  conception  of  his  own,  but  the  very 
"  mystery  of  Christ."  Paul  desired  to  preach 
the  doctrine  for  which  he  suffered.    Because 


THE  COLOSSIANS  97 

he  was  in  prison  for  the  doctrine,  he  would 
earnestly  desire  to  make  that  publicly  known 
on  every  hand.  "Now  I  beseech  you, 
brethren,  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  sake,  and 
for  the  love  of  the  Spirit,  that  ye  strive  together 
with  me  in  your  prayers  to  God  for  me"  (Rom. 
xv.  30).  The  Apostle  believed  in  common 
prayer.  He  believed  that  the  many  might 
effectively  pray  for  the  one.  Here  he  comes 
before  the  Colossian  church  in  an  attitude 
of  dependence  and  humility.  On  no  account 
will  he  have  it  that  he  is  the  author  of  his 
own  doctrine.  "Let  a  man  so  account  of 
us,  as  of  the  ministers  of  Christ,  and  stewards 
of  the  mysteries  of  God"  (1  Cor.  iv.  1). 
The  gift  of  interpreting  mysteries  is  one  of 
the  special  gifts  of  God.  "It  is  given  unto 
you  to  know  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven"  (Matt.  xiii.  11).  Paul  would 
be  taught,  so  to  say,  in  the  very  art  of  speech, 
that  he  might  deliver  his  message  in  the 
most  persuasive  and  commanding  manner. 
His  ordination  as  a  speaker  of  the  divine 
mysteries  he  wished  to  make  manifest  to  all 
men.  "My  speech  and  my  preaching  was 
not  with  enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom, 

7 


98  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

but  in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of 
power"  (1  Cor.  ii.  4).  We  should  receive 
more  from  our  ministers  if  we  cherished  them 
more  warmly  in  our  thoughts  when  we  are 
having  the  fullest  access  to  the  throne  of 
grace.  We  should  not  pray  that  our  ministers 
should  be  brilliant,  or  learned,  or  popular; 
but  we  should  earnestly  supplicate  the  Head 
of  the  Church  that  He  would  endow  them 
with  the  gift  of  insight  and  of  speech,  that 
they  might  at  once  perceive  and  declare  the 
mysteries  of  His  own  kingdom. 


Verses  5,  6:  "Walk  in  wisdom  toward  them  that 
are  without,  redeeming  the  time.  Let  your  speech 
be  alway  with  grace,  seasoned  with  salt,  that  ye  may 
know  how  ye  ought  to  answer  every  man." 


It  is  Paul  who  here  inculcates  the  grace 
and  the  responsibility  of  prudence! — the 
same  Paul  who  was  charged  with  madness, 
and  with  being  beside  himself,  and  with 
unregulated  zeal.  Now  he  warns  the  Colos- 
sians  that  there  are  people  outside  the  Church 
as  well  as  inside,  and  that  a  good  deal 
depends  upon  the  behaviour  of  those  who 
are  inside  as  to  the  estimate  which  will  be 


THE  COLOSSIANS  99 

put  upon  them  by  outside  and  possibly 
hostile  observers.  "The  wisdom  that  is  from 
above  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable,  gentle, 
and  easy  to  be  intreated,  full  of  mercy  and 
good  fruits,  without  partiality,  and  without 
hypocrisy"  (James  hi.  17).  Make  the  best 
of  the  time — redeem  it,  buy  up  the  oppor- 
tunity— use  all  your  resources  in  making 
known  and  extending  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Keep  up  a  holy  conversation  amongst  your- 
selves. The  conversation  which  you  thus 
sustain  will  have  an  effect  beyond  your  own 
circle;  for  by  often  speaking  one  to  another 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  secretly  study- 
ing the  innermost  mysteries  of  divine  grace, 
you  will  come  to  know  how  you  ought  to 
answer  every  man.  "The  mouth  of  the 
righteous  speaketh  wisdom,  and  his  tongue 
talketh  judgment"  (Ps.  xxxvii.  30).  "The 
words  of  a  wise  man's  mouth  are  gracious" 
(Eccles.  x.  12).  What  need  we  have  of  heart 
culture!  How  rich  we  should  be  in  spiritual 
perception  and  sympathy!  "Out  of  the 
abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh. 
A  good  man  out  of  the  good  treasure  of 
the  heart  bringeth   forth   good   things:  and 


100  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

an  evil  man  out  of  the  evil  treasure  bringeth 
forth  evil  things"  (Matt.  xii.  34,  35). 

The  rest  of  the  Epistle  is  full  of  personal 
reference  and  appreciation.  "All  my  state 
shall  Tychicus  declare  unto  you,  who  is  a 
beloved  brother,  and  a  faithful  minister  and 
fellow-servant  in  the  Lord."  This  was  the 
character  of  Tychicus,  and  yet  he  was  without 
fame  of  a  popular  kind;  his  reputation  was 
in  heaven  rather  than  one  of  the  noises  of  the 
world.  What  higher  character  can  a  man 
sustain  than  that  he  should  be  a  faithful 
minister  and  a  fellow-servant  in  the  Lord,  and 
a  beloved  brother?  We  cannot  all  be  great, 
but  by  the  grace  of  God  we  can  all  be 
good.  We  may  not  be  brilliant,  but  we  can 
all  be  faithful.  We  cannot  all  lead  as  masters 
and  captains,  but  we  can  all  be  fellow-servants 
and  brethren  in  love.  Tychicus  had  also  a 
great  capacity  for  comforting  the  hearts  of 
men.  He  loved  the  Apostle  Paul,  studied  all 
his  ways,  was  familiar  with  his  chief  purposes : 
therefore  he  could  enlighten  the  Colossians 
upon  all  matters  relating  to  the  great  Apostle, 
and  thus  he  could  bring  courage  into  the 
hearts  of  those  who  longed  to  know  how  the 


THE  COLOSSIANS  101 

greatest  of  the  Apostles  was  conducting  the 
battle  of  the  Gospel.  Paul  was  great  upon 
comfort,  understanding  by  the  word  "com- 
fort," strengthening,  encouraging,  stimulating: 
"Now  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  Himself,  and 
God,  even  our  Father,  which  hath  loved  us, 
and  hath  given  us  everlasting  consolation  and 
good  hope  through  grace,  comfort  your 
hearts,  and  stablish  you  in  every  good  word 
and  work"  (2  Thess.  ii.  16,  17). 

Onesimus  is  described  as  a  faithful  and 
beloved  brother,  and  as  a  Colossian  by  birth 
or  by  adoption.  Onesimus  is  "a  faithful  and 
beloved  brother" — not  a  word  is  said  about 
his  being  a  runaway  slave.  Paul  does  not 
go  back  upon  the  past,  but  appreciates  and 
magnifies  the  present.  Did  Onesimus  write 
part  of  this  Epistle  at  the  dictation  of  Paul? 
Did  he  write  the  part  about  servants  and  the 
part  about  masters?  When  he  took  the 
Epistle  and  handed  it  to  the  Colossian  church, 
had  he  not  in  his  possession  a  private  note 
intended  for  the  personal  perusal  of  one  called 
Philemon?  Writing  to  the  Colossians,  Paul 
describes  Onesimus  as  "a  faithful  and  beloved 


102  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

brother";  but  writing  to  Philemon,  he  de- 
scribes him  as  "my  son  Onesimus."  There 
is  a  meaning  in  all  this  tender  sentiment, 
a  meaning  which  Paul  will  earnestly  apply 
when  he  addresses  himself  to  Philemon. 

Then  Aristarchus,  and  Marcus,  and  Justus, 
and  Epaphras,  and  Luke,  and  Demas,  are 
all  referred  to  as  being  deeply  interested  in 
the  welfare  of  the  Colossian  church.  Were 
these  men  brilliant  preachers?  We  have  no 
evidence  that  they  were  so.  They  are  spoken 
of  in  their  moral  rather  than  in  their  intel- 
lectual capacity.  They  are  fellow-prisoners, 
or  fellow-workers,  or  fervent  labourers,  or 
beloved  because  of  personal  qualities.  The 
Church  is  not  wholly  composed  of  leaders, 
captains,  and  generals;  it  is  composed  also 
of  the  great  multitude,  the  common  humanity, 
and  Paul  is  never  slow  gratefully  to  recognise 
what  quiet  and  obscure  workers  have  done  as 
they  toiled  for  the  kingdom  of  God.  Epaphras 
was  not  an  eloquent  man,  but  he  was  fervent 
in  prayer,  his  one  desire  being  that  his  fellow- 
creatures  should  stand  perfect  and  complete 
in  all  the  will  of  God.     Are  we  anxious  to 


THE  COLOSSIANS  103 

secure  this  better  fame?  Do  we  blow 
trumpets  at  the  street  corners  that  we  may 
proclaim  our  piety,  or  do  we  live  our  doctrine 
in  all  manner  of  active  and  comforting 
beneficence? 

The  name  of  Demas  occurs  here  without 
brand  or  stain.  Alas!  there  came  a  time 
when  he  was  to  be  otherwise  referred  to.  In 
his  Second  Epistle  to  Timothy,  chap.  iv. 
verses  10  and  11,  we  read:  "Only  Luke  is 
with  me.  Demas  hath  forsaken  me,  having 
loved  this  present  world."  It  is  not  enough 
to  be  good  at  one  time  of  life.  "He  that 
endureth  to  the  end  shall  be  saved."  "Ye  did 
run  well;  who  did  hinder  you?"  Paul 
was  accustomed  to  the  discipline  of  desertion : 
"All  they  which  are  in  Asia  be  turned  away 
from  me"  (2  Tim.  i.  15);  "It  is  happened 
unto  them  according  to  the  true  proverb,  The 
dog  is  turned  to  his  own  vomit  again;  and  the 
sow  that  was  washed  to  her  wallowing  in  the 
mire"  (2  Peter  ii.  22). 

Verses  15-18:  "Salute  the  brethren  which  are  in 
Laodicea,  and  Nymphas,  and  the  church  which  is  in 
his  house.    And  when  this  epistle  is  read  among  you, 


104  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

cause  that  it  be  read  also  in  the  church  of  the  Laodi- 
ceans;  and  that  ye  likewise  read  the  epistle  from 
Laodicea.  And  say  to  Archippus,  Take  heed  to  the 
ministry  which  thou  hast  received  in  the  Lord,  that 
thou  fulfil  it.  The  salutation  by  the  hand  of  me 
Paul.  Remember  my  bonds.  Grace  be  with  you. 
Amen." 


Paul  forgets  nobody.  Names  that  have  no 
significance  to  us  were  written  on  the  tablet 
of  his  heart.  He  never  could  sufficiently 
recognise  the  service  which  his  brethren 
rendered  to  him.  To  the  Philippians  he  said, 
"I  have  you  in  my  heart."  Here  he  ad- 
dresses a  special  exhortation  to  one  called 
Archippus,  who  is  described  in  the  Epistle  to 
Philemon  as  "  Archippus  our  fellow-soldier." 
Of  this  man  we  know  next  to  nothing,  yet  he 
fought  side  by  side  with  the  foremost  warrior 
in  the  Church.  Possibly  Archippus,  like 
many  of  ourselves,  needed  a  frequent  word  of 
exhortation  and  encouragement.  Paul  was 
emphatically  the  man  to  speak  such  a  word: 
"Take  heed  therefore  unto  yourselves,  and  to 
all  the  flock,  over  the  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
hath  made  you  overseers,  to  feed  the  church 
of  God,  which  He  hath  purchased  with  His 
own  blood"  (Acts  xx.  28). 


THE  COLOSSIANS  105 

Then  the  final  word — the  salutation  by 
the  hand  of  Paul,  a  hand  often  imprisoned, 
but  a  hand  always  free  where  service  was 
to  be  rendered  to  truth  and  love.  Even  at 
this  moment  Paul  was  a  prisoner,  yet  from 
within  the  prison  he  breathed  out  benediction 
upon  those  who  loved  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
He  did  not  say,  "  Wealth  be  to  you,  pros- 
perity, worldly  honour,"  but,  "  Grace  be  with 
you.  All  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  be  with  you ! 
All  the  blessings  of  heaven  make  you 
glad  and  strong!"  Great  hearts  breathe 
great  prayers. 


CONCLUDING  PRAYER 

Thy  kingdom  come,  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it 
is  in  heaven.  Bring  in  Thy  kingdom,  Father  of 
lights,  and  bring  it  in  with  power,  so  that  we  may  feel 
its  passion,  and  respond  to  its  music,  and  obey  its  laws. 
We  have  heard  of  Thy  kingdom;  Thy  Son  has  put  it 
into  parables  for  us.  We  have  listened  to  the  gracious 
words  that  have  proceeded  out  of  His  mouth,  and  we 
say,  "Thy  kingdom  come,  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth 
as  it  is  in  heaven."  Thine  is  a  kingdom  of  light  and 
love,  of  security,  and  tenderness,  and  rest.  Oh  that 
Thy  kingdom  would  come!      Even  so,  Lord  Jesus, 


106     EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS 

come  quickly — not  in  our  way,  but  in  Thine  own  way ; 
whether  visibly  or  providentially,  or  by  increase  of 
grace  and  enthusiasm  in  the  hearts  of  men,  we  shall 
know  Thy  coming.  There  is  no  coming  like  Thine, 
O  Jesus,  come  quickly,  for  the  earth  awaits  Thee  and 
longs  to  know  Thy  power!  Make  Thyself  visible 
to  us  in  our  hearts;  may  our  hearts  see  Thee,  and 
may  we  know  the  power  of  Christ,  all-redeeming, 
all-atoning  in  the  forgiveness,  the  conscious  pardon  of 
our  sins.  We  bless  Thee  that  Thou  art  a  King  and 
Thou  hast  a  kingdom,  and  dost  rule  in  righteousness, 
and  Thy  throne  is  founded  upon  justice  and  order  and 
love.  May  we  expect  to  know  Thy  law  and  endeavour 
humbly  and  resolutely  to  obey  it.  We  bless  Thee  for 
the  gathering  time  when  man  touches  man,  when  we 
are  conscious  that  we  are  in  our  Father's  house.  Let 
the  light  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun  make  this 
evening  service  a  time  of  peculiar  glory.  If  we  have 
any  singular  sorrow  for  which  there  is  no  speech  that 
may  be  uttered  in  public,  the  Lord  send  comfort,  a 
rent  in  the  cloud  which  may  mean  the  door  of  heaven. 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  PHILEMON 

ALONG  with  this  Epistle  to  the  Colossians 
.  there  was  a  private  or  personal  letter 
carried  by  the  same  letter-carrier,  into  the 
contents  of  which  we  may  be  permitted  to 
look.  Perhaps  the  style  of  the  Apostle  will 
change  as  he  abandons  for  the  moment  what 
may  be  called  the  episcopal  or  official  atti- 
tude, and  begins  to  tell  his  thoughts  in  a 
more  simple  and  friendly  manner.  Onesimus 
is  the  letter-carrier — no  doubt  a  surprising 
messenger  to  the  astounded  Philemon.  He 
knew  the  face  well.  He  associated  with 
that  face  memories  of  disobedience,  theft, 
cowardice,  and  many  other  disagreeable  remi- 
niscences. It  is  by  the  hand  of  this  man 
that  Paul  sends  his  great  Epistle  to  the 
Colossian  church!  And  yet  not  by  this 
man  at  all,  for  "if  any  man  be  in  Christ 
Jesus,  he  is  a  new  creature,"  and  Onesimus 

107 


108  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

was  now  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  was  no  longer 
the  thief  and  the  runaway  of  other  days. 
How  will  Paul  introduce  such  a  man  to  such 
a  master?  Philemon  was  probably  the  pastor, 
or  bishop,  of  the  church  at  Colosse.  Though 
a  pastor,  he  was  a  slaveholder,  a  circumstance 
which  we  must  not  judge  by  modern  stand- 
ards. Christianity  took  the  world  as  it  found 
it,  and  began  as  it  could  and  where  it  could  to 
introduce  the  sublime  mystery  of  the  New 
Manhood.  Christianity  is  a  Regeneration  as 
well  as  a  Redemption.  The  redemption  comes 
first,  and  the  regeneration  follows  as  a  com- 
pleting ministry.  Let  us  read  the  private  let- 
ter to  Philemon  in  our  own  English  way. 
Then  the  Epistle  will  run  somewhat  after  this 
fashion : 

My  dearly  beloved  Philemon,  though 
absent,  yet  present;  though  denied  to 
the  eyes  of  my  body,  yet  ever  vividly 
present  to  the  vision  of  my  soul, — I 
have  a  word  to  say  to  thee,  and  to 
the  church  that  is  in  thy  house,  my 
faithful  fellow-labourer.  At  the  point 
of  labour  we  meet  as  equals.    We  have 


PHILEMON  109 

both  laboured,  and  by  labour  we  have 
come  into  fellowship  and  into  the  better 
understanding  of  one  another,  both  as 
men  and  as  workers  in  the  Master's 
service.  A  sense  of  original  brother- 
hood has  been  created  in  us  because 
we  have  been  moved  by  the  same  in- 
spirations and  upheld  by  the  same 
hopes.  I  mean  this  letter  to  be  speci- 
ally perused  by  our  beloved  Apphia, 
thy  sweet  and  loving  wife,  for  I  want 
to  interest  her  sympathies  in  the  deli- 
cate cause  which  I  am  about  to  plead. 
I  am  near  and  dear  to  thee,  but  Apphia 
is  nearer  and  dearer  still,  and  I  am 
sure  that  her  great  womanly  heart 
will  instantly  catch  my  meaning  and 
cordially  respond  to  my  appeal.  I 
want  thy  son  Archippus  also  to  be 
interested  in  this  matter.  He  is  a 
fellow-soldier  and  a  minister  of  Christ, 
and  I  have  exhorted  him  in  my  general 
Epistle  to  take  heed  to  his  ministry, 
and  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  carry 
out  the  will  of  the  Holy  Ghost  therein. 
By-and-by  I  should  like  the  church 


110  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

which  is  in  thy  house  to  know  the 
purport  of  this  letter,  and  to  support 
thee  in  carrying  out  my  benevolent 
design.  Grace  to  you  from  God  our 
Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  If 
you  realise  this  grace  and  this  peace, 
there  will  be  created  in  your  souls  an 
atmosphere  favourable  to  the  considera- 
tion of  my  appeal.  Let  me  say  at  the 
very  beginning  that  thy  name  is  con- 
tinually on  my  lips  in  expressions  of 
thankfulness,  "  always  in  my  prayers." 
I  am  constantly  hearing  of  thy  love 
and  faith.  I  want  them  both  to  be- 
come larger  day  by  day.  I  want  thy 
faith  and  thy  love  to  create  a  great 
communion  (communication)  between 
thyself  and  all  the  world.  Philemon, 
and  Apphia,  and  Archippus  are  names 
which  stand  to  me  for  the  refreshment 
of  the  church,  shown  in  great  hospi- 
tality alike  for  the  body  and  for  the 
soul.  Your  names  are  a  perpetual 
joy  to  me.  Now  I  want  to  ask  a 
favour — indeed,  it  is  in  my  heart  to 
press   a   claim.     I   could   speak   with 


PHILEMON  111 

the  boldness  of  a  commandment,  but 
I  would  rather  speak  for  love's  sake 
in  a  tone  of  gracious  pleading.  Re- 
member that  I  am  a  prisoner  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Remember  also  that  I  am 
now  such  a  one  as  Paul  the  aged.  I 
am  only  between  fifty  and  sixty  years 
of  age,  which  cannot  be  called  old  in 
years, — but  remember  my  strife,  my 
conflict,  my  continual  sorrow,  and 
heaviness  of  heart;  remember  how  I 
have  suffered  many  things  for  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  would  on  no  account 
have  suffered  one  stroke  the  fewer; 
remember  there  is  upon  me  all  the 
care  of  the  churches — neither  night  nor 
day  have  I  undisturbed  tranquillity. 
It  is,  as  it  were,  clothed  with  all  these 
characteristics  that  I  now  come  before 
thee,  almost  on  bended  knees,  and  ask 
a  favour  at  thy  hands.  In  a  word, 
I  want  thee  to  take  back  the  runaway 
slave  Onesimus !  Once  he  was  unprof- 
itable, though  his  name  means  "  prof- 
itable." He  belies  his  name.  But  he 
is  no  longer  unprofitable,   because   I 


112  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

have  begotten  him  in  my  bonds.  He 
is  now  a  sound-hearted  Christian  man. 
In  Christ  he  is  my  equal  and  thine. 
I  love  him  as  a  man  might  love  a 
favourite  son — at  one  point,  indeed, 
I  thought  of  accepting  him  in  thine 
own  stead.  I  know  thy  kind-hearted- 
ness towards  me,  and  that  thou  wouldst 
like  Onesimus  to  represent  thee  in 
service;  but  on  reflection  I  think  it 
right  that  Onesimus  should  appear  in 
bodily  form,  put  himself  within  thy 
reach,  subject  to  all  the  penalties  of 
the  law,  or  receive  from  thy  hand  the 
sign  and  token  of  pardon  which  I 
am  sure  thou  wilt  not  withhold.  If 
Onesimus  could  be  sent  back  to  me,  he 
will  be  received  with  the  greatest  joy, 
especially  as  I  should  feel  that  I  had 
not  then  held  him  of  necessity,  but,  as 
it  were,  willingly,  a  direct  and  precious 
benefit  conferred  by  thine  own  hand. 
If  I  look  at  these  matters  in  their  true 
light,  and  assign  them  their  largest 
interpretation,  I  begin  to  see  that 
Onesimus  departed  from  thee  for  a 


PHILEMON  113 

season  that  thou  shouldst  receive  him 
for  ever.  Our  dear  Lord  spake  a 
parable  of  the  prodigal  son.  Onesimus 
was  a  prodigal  slave;  now  he  returns 
to  thee  not  as  a  servant,  but  more  than 
a  servant — a  brother  beloved,  specially 
to  me,  but  how  much  more  unto  thee, 
both  in  the  flesh  and  in  the  Lord? 
The  whole  matter  then  comes  to  this: 
if  I  am  thy  partner,  receive  Onesimus 
as  if  he  were  myself.  From  what  he 
has  told  me  I  have  no  doubt  that  he 
has  been  a  thief  as  well  as  a  run- 
away. I  am  quite  willing  to  make 
myself  responsible  for  anything  which 
he  may  have  taken  from  thee.  "If 
he  hath  wronged  thee,  or  oweth  thee 
ought,  put  that  on  mine  account.' '  I 
write  this  bond  with  mine  own  hand. 
I  am  not  going  to  make  a  debtor  and 
creditor  account  of  it,  saying  though 
I  owe  thee  Onesimus,  or  hold  myself 
responsible  for  him,  I  will  not  put  on 
the  other  side  of  the  account  the  fact 
that  thou  dost  owe  unto  me  even  thine 
own  self.     There  shall  be  no  debtor 

8 


114  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

and  creditor  account  in  a  matter  so 
holy  and  so  tender.  Brother,  let  me 
have  joy  in  thee:  give  my  spirit  rest. 
I  have  absolute  confidence  in  thy 
obedience — nay,  more,  I  am  sure  that 
thou  wilt  also  do  more  than  I  say. 
Love  does  not  give  in  any  grudging 
fashion;  its  gifts  are  heaped  up, 
pressed  down,  running  over.  I  want 
an  answer,  as  it  were,  by  return:  I 
would  hire  the  lightning  to  bring  back 
thy  reply.  I  believe  a  great  answer 
of  love  will  escape  thy  heart  before 
thou  hast  time  to  put  it  into  adequate 
words.  I  lay  my  request  before  thee, 
and  before  thy  beloved  wife  and  son; 
I  can  add  no  more.  The  grace  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  your  spirit. 


Suppose  we  know  nothing  about  the  Apostle 
Paul  but  what  we  can  infer  from  his  Epistle 
to  the  Colossians,  and  his  private  letter  to 
Philemon,  what  estimate  would  we  form  of 
him?  How  would  he  rank  amongst  men  as 
to   character,    strength,    capacity,    episcopal 


PHILEMON  115 

statesmanship?  Observe  our  area  of  know- 
ledge and  inference  is  for  the  moment  strictly 
limited  to  these  Epistles.  For  the  time  being 
we  have  to  exclude  all  other  knowledge  of 
the  character  and  service  of  the  Apostle  Paul. 
Are  we  interested  in  the  man  as  he  is  revealed 
in  these  Epistles?  Does  he  assume  the  pro- 
portions and  the  impressiveness  of  a  truly 
historical  study?  Is  he  marked  by  any  high 
degree  of  quality?  Is  he  superficial  or  pro- 
found? Is  he  hypocritical  or  sincere?  He 
must  at  some  point,  and  in  sime  way,  show 
his  real  nature.  We  are  entitled  to  regard 
him  critically  because  he  makes  so  large  a 
claim  upon  our  attention. 

1.  Personally  I  should  have  no  hesitation 
in  pronouncing  Paul,  as  he  is  self-portrayed 
in  these  Epistles,  as  an  intensely  religious 
man.  From  beginning  to  end  the  tone  is 
sublimely  religious.  There  is  no  hint  of 
commerce  being  an  element  of  his  religion, 
or  of  religion  being  an  aspect  of  commerce. 
The  religion  seems  to  be  simple  and  definite, 
without  complication,  and  without  suggestion 
of   any    ulterior    thought    or    motive.     The 


116  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

Apostle  Paul  comes  forth  from  the  very 
presence  of  God.  There  is  a  shining  upon 
his  face  which  must  have  been  caught  in 
a  high  light.  He  has  heard  the  ineffable 
psalm  of  eternity,  and  he  desires  to  express 
some  note  or  sob  of  the  far-away  music. 
From  no  mean  hut  or  gaudy  palace  of  man's 
building  does  this  weird  Apostle  come  to  tell 
of  the  littleness  of  the  one  or  gilded  empti- 
ness of  the  other.  He  does  not  appeal  to 
our  vision  as  the  white  cloud  of  some  tran- 
sient summer  day.  The  ages  are  round  about 
him  as  a  garment,  the  spaces  widen  them- 
selves into  infinity  when  he  attempts  to 
picture  their  magnitude,  and  the  planet- 
lights  burn  into  the  whitest  day  that  ever 
transfigured  the  sky  into  an  emblem  of 
purity.  Judged  by  these  Epistles,  Paul  is 
a  truly  great  soul.  Religion  is  to  him  no 
pastime,  no  pious  recreation,  no  experiment 
in  intellectual  gymnastics.  He  is  not  a  solver 
of  problems;  he  is  a  student  of  revelations. 
To  Paul  religion  is  awful,  lonely,  ghostly, 
"  unspeakable,  and  full  of  glory."  It  is 
along  this  high  level  of  thought  and  experi- 
ence that  he  comes  to  us  with  his  grand 


PHILEMON  117 

appeals.  He  creates  a  great  hush  of  ex- 
pectancy: there  can  be  no  common  words 
uttered  by  a  man  who  has  been  long  closeted 
with  Christ.  Great  conceptions  awaken  great 
interest.  This  man  tells  us  of  mountains  that 
abase  all  other  hills,  and  make  them  pimples 
too  small  to  be  counted  or  measured.  This 
man  tells  of  oceans  compared  with  which 
all  other  seas  shrink  into  drops  of  rain. 
How  great,  how  solemn,  how  overpowering 
are  his  words!  Take  a  cluster  of  them: 
"The  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light"; 
"Redemption";  "Forgiveness";  "The  Son 
who  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the 
firstborn  of  every  creature";  "The  Son  by 
whom  were  all  things  created,  whether  they 
be  thrones,  or  dominions,  or  principalities, 
or  powers";  "The  Son  in  whom  it  pleased 
the  Father  that  all  fulness  should  dwell." 
He  speaks  of  the  mystery  that  hath  been 
hidden  from  ages  and  from  generations,  and 
he  speaks  of  a  blood,  precious  in  the  sight 
of  God,  that  makes  forgiveness  and  holiness 
possible  to  mankind.  Before  such  themes 
other  topics  fall  into  silence  and  slink  away 
in  conscious  self-contempt.     Truly  the  writer 


118  THE  EPISTLE  TO 

of  these  Epistles  has  been  high  up  in  the 
heavens  and  has  heard  words  that  have  stirred 
his  soul. 

2.  In  the  next  place,  Paul  is  evidently 
a  master  in  the  art  of  pleading.  These 
Epistles  prove  him  to  be  an  expert  in  reason- 
ing, in  exposition,  in  appeal.  Paul  is  a 
workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed. 
His  sense  of  proportion  amounts  to  genius. 
How  delicately  he  approaches  Philemon! 
What  self-restraint,  yet  what  vehemence! 
At  this  moment  we  may  make  some  use  of 
what  we  have  heard  of  Paul  in  other  writings, 
and  may  compare  words  spoken  in  other 
connections  with  the  words  which  specially 
characterise  this  Epistle.  On  one  occasion  he 
said,  "  Being  crafty,  we  caught  them  with 
guile."  Is  there  not  a  sacred  cunning  in 
the  way  which  he  approaches  the  all-con- 
fiding Philemon?  Is  he  not,  with  the  deft- 
ness of  an  expert,  making  his  points  one 
by  one  solid  and  secure  as  he  moves  along 
the  line  of  his  calculated  approach?  On 
another  occasion  Paul  said,  "  Weary  not  in 
well  doing."     In  other  words,  "  Weary  not  in 


PHILEMON  119 

courtesy,  in  social  gentleness,  in  mutual 
consideration  and  esteem."  In  approaching 
Philemon,  does  not  Paul  obey  his  own  in- 
junction? "Well  doing,"  as  the  word  is 
employed  by  Paul,  meant  courtesy,  good 
manners,  studied  and  sincere  amiability.  On 
another  occasion  Paul  said,  "We  that  are 
strong  ought  to  bear  the  infirmities  of  the 
weak."  Is  not  this  exactly  what  Paul  does 
as  the  friend  of  Onesimus?  Paul  does  not 
send  Onesimus  to  plead  his  own  cause,  or  to 
throw  himself  penitently  and  apologetically 
on  the  forbearance  of  his  old  master.  It  is 
Paul  that  writes  the  letter;  Onesimus  only 
delivers  it.  On  another  occasion  Paul  said, 
"If  a  man  be  overtaken  in  a  fault,  ye 
which  are  spiritual,  restore  such  an  one  in 
the  spirit  of  meekness."  Is  not  this  precisely 
what  Paul  is  doing  in  the  case  of  his  spiritual 
child?  Is  not  the  Pauline  doctrine  the  great- 
est restorative  that  can  be  applied  to  a  shat- 
tered soul? 

3.  It  is  perfectly  clear,  from  the  method 
and  tone  of  these  Epistles,  that  if  Paul's  case 
fails  it  cannot  be  from  want  of  sympathetic 


120    THE  EPISTLE  TO  PHILEMON 

and  powerful  advocacy.  In  no  mere  post- 
script does  Paul  refer  to  Onesimus.  There 
is  no  casual  reference  that  might  easily  be 
overlooked  by  the  receiver  of  the  Epistle. 
The  letter  has  but  one  topic,  one  object,  one 
tone  of  pleading.  It  was  also  characteristic 
of  Paul  that  when  he  preached  the  Gospel 
he  preached  it  with  the  same  vehemence  and 
holy  zeal.  If  the  sermon  failed,  the  blame 
of  the  failure  could  not  be  attributed  to  the 
illustrious  Apostle.  He  reasoned  of  right- 
eousness, temperance,  and  judgment  to  come, 
until  corrupt  men  whitened  and  trembled, 
and  begged  for  release  from  his  piercing  and 
tormenting  eloquence.  For  Paul  to  live  was 
Christ.  Without  a  Gospel  to  preach  he  would 
have  been  without  a  reason  to  live.  This 
is  the  man  as  he  unconsciously  delineates 
his  own  personality.  He  is  a  great  character; 
in  very  deed  he  is  a  pillar  of  the  Church. 
We  can  have  no  doubt  that  he  saw  a  literal 
vision  when  he  beheld  the  shining  of  the 
crown  that  was  laid  up  awaiting  his  entrance 
into  the  higher  service. 


THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE 
THESSALONIANS 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  Apostle  Paul  now  begins  his  episto- 
lary ministry.  A  brief  account  of  his 
service  at  Thessalonica  may  be  useful  as 
indicating  some  of  the  principal  associations 
which  the  great  Apostle  had  with  that  con- 
spicuous city.  In  Acts  xvii.  2-10  we  read 
as  follows: 

"And  Paul,  as  his  manner  was,  went  in  unto  them, 
and  three  sabbath  days  reasoned  with  them  out  of 
the  scriptures,  opening  and  alleging,  that  Christ 
must  needs  have  suffered,  and  risen  again  from  the 
dead;  and  that  this  Jesus,  whom  I  preach  unto  you, 
is  Christ.  And  some  of  them  believed,  and  consorted 
with  Paul  and  Silas;  and  of  the  devout  Greeks  a 
great  multitude,  and  of  the  chief  women  not  a  few. 
But  the  Jews  which  believed  not,  moved  with  envy, 
took  unto  them  certain  lewd  fellows  of  the  baser  sort, 
and  gathered  a  company,  and  set  all  the  city  on 
an  uproar,  and  assaulted  the  house  of  Jason,  and 
sought  to  bring  them  out  to  the  people.  And  when 
they  found  them  not,  they  drew  Jason  and  certain 
brethren  unto  the  rulers  of  the  city,  crying,  These 
that  have  turned  the  world  upside  down  are  come 
hither  also;  whom  Jason  hath  received:  and  these 
123 


124  INTRODUCTION 

all  do  contrary  to  the  decrees  of  Caesar,  saying  that 
there  is  another  king,  one  Jesus.  And  they  troubled 
the  people  and  the  rulers  of  the  city,  when  they 
heard  these  things.  And  when  they  had  taken  security 
of  Jason,  and  of  the  other,  they  let  them  go.  And 
the  brethren  immediately  sent  away  Paul  and  Silas 
by  night  unto  Berea:  who  coming  thither  went  into 
the  synagogue  of  the  Jews." 


The  degree  of  hostility  shown  to  Paul  by 
the  Thessalonian  Jews  seems  to  determine 
the  fervour  of  his  love  to  the  Thessalonian 
Christians.  From  beginning  to  end  the 
Epistle  overflows  with  all  the  noblest  Christ- 
ian emotions.  The  Apostle  is  as  one  who 
would  comfort  hearts  that  are  in  great  dis- 
tress. If  the  Epistle  may  be  compared  to 
a  vessel,  there  can  be  no  hesitation  in 
describing  the  vessel  as  overflowing  with 
the  very  wine  of  human  love.  From  a 
literary  point  of  view  there  is  next  to  no 
attempt  at  merely  verbal  or  rhetorical 
composition.  The  Apostle  Paul  is  never 
rhetorical  in  the  sense  of  mere  fluency,  or 
in  the  sense  of  elaborate  tropes  and  resonant 
periods;  but  he  is  often  driven  into  en- 
trancing rhetoric  by  the  intensity  and  noble- 
ness of  his  spiritual  argument.     About  this 


INTRODUCTION  125 

Epistle  there  is  nothing  that  is  mechanical  or 
formal.  In  a  sense  the  Epistle  is  desultory; 
that  is  to  say,  the  writer  leaps  suddenly  and 
almost  startlingly  from  one  topic  to  another, 
hardly  pausing  to  complete  one  argument 
until  he  has  set  up  another.  The  fine  mix- 
ture of  personal  recollection  and  doctrinal 
statement  can  hardly  escape  the  most  casual 
attention.  This  is  Paul's  first  epistle  to  the 
churches,  almost  the  first  attempt  at  any 
kind  of  Christian  authorship  of  a  purely 
theological  or  doctrinal  kind.  The  first  love- 
letter  to  the  churches!  The  first  outpouring 
of  the  greatest  heart  known  in  Christian  ex- 
perience! Truly  we  may  follow  the  example 
of  Moses,  and  turn  aside  to  see  this  great 
sight.  Here  is  a  bush  blazing  with  fire,  but 
unconsumed.  Out  of  this  bush  there  may 
come  voices  that  will  enable  us  to  recall 
solemnly  and  thrillingly  some  of  the  tones 
that  proceeded  from  the  bush  at  the  foot 
of  Horeb.  First  of  all  let  us  familiarise 
ourselves  with  the  main  points  of  the  Epistle 
by  setting  it  forth  in  a  kind  of  pictorial  para- 
phrase; and  afterwards,  as  in  the  case  of 
Colossians,  let  us  take  the  Epistle  verse  by 


126  INTRODUCTION 

verse,   and  see  what  it  yields  of  Christian 
instruction  and  spiritual  unction. 


Paul,  and  Silvanus  (Silas),  and 
Timotheus,  evangelists  of  Christ,  living, 
and  moving,  and  having  our  being  in 
God,  even  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  would  send  unto  you  the 
best  desires  of  our  grateful  hearts. 
May  grace  be  unto  you,  and  peace 
from  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ!  May  the  very  air  you 
breathe  be  balmy  with  blessing!  You 
can  have  no  idea  how  fervently  we 
thank  God  concerning  you  all,  making 
mention  of  you  whenever  the  hour 
of  prayer  recurs,  remembering  from 
moment  to  moment  your  wonderful 
work  of  faith,  and  toil  of  love,  and 
patience  of  hope.  In  very  deed  you 
are  brethren  beloved  by  God;  you  are 
the  elect  of  the  Father.  We  know  your 
election  by  the  sure  sign  that  when 
you  heard  the  word  of  God  you 
received    it    not    verbally    only,    but 


INTRODUCTION  127 

spiritually  and  with  deep  conviction. 
Ye  know  what  manner  of  men  we 
became  amongst  you  for  your  sakes. 
We  studied  your  character  and  cir- 
cumstances carefully,  and  we  accom- 
modated ourselves  to  the  degree  of 
your  intelligence,  and  the  fervour  of 
your  zeal.  We  cannot  but  remember 
that  you  became  imitators  of  us  and 
of  the  Lord,  carefully  following  our 
footsteps  as  we  zealously  endeavoured 
to  follow  the  footsteps  of  our  glorious 
Master.  The  whole  occasion  was  most 
memorable  to  us  because  you  did  not 
receive  the  Gospel  on  a  summer  day, 
amidst  balmy  breezes  enriched  with 
the  fragrance  of  aromatic  flowers,  but 
you  received  the  word  amidst  much 
distress.  Your  circumstances  repre- 
sented an  intense  trial,  but  this  trial 
you  overcame  by  the  inward  presence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  By  the  realisation 
of  that  Spirit  you  counterbalanced  all 
the  afflictions  and  trials  with  which 
your  new  life  was  besieged.  You  not 
only  became  receivers  of  the  Gospel — 


128  INTRODUCTION 

you  became  a  medium  through  which 
the  Gospel  was  sounded  out,  not  only 
in  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  but  prac- 
tically everywhere.  A  wonderful  voice 
has  proceeded  from  you  and  gone  forth 
throughout  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  so 
that  you  have  to  a  large  extent  super- 
seded the  work  of  missionaries  and 
evangelists.  Everywhere  we  hear  of 
the  consequences  of  our  evangelistic 
visit.  We  hear  that  you  have  thrown 
away  a  senseless  idolatry,  a  futile  and 
enervating  superstition,  and  that  you 
are  cleaving  with  steadfastness  to  the 
living  and  real  God,  whose  Son  you 
are  expecting  out  of  the  heavens — the 
Son  whom  God  raised  out  of  the  dead, 
even  Jesus,  who  with  a  mighty  arm 
delivers  and  rescues  from  the  wrath 
that  cometh. 

I  need  not  recall  to  your  minds 
how  that  our  entrance  in  unto  you 
was  not  in  vain.  In  no  way  did  it 
prove  to  be  vain.  You  knew  what 
sufferings    we    had    undergone,    and 


INTRODUCTION  129 

how  shamefully  entreated  we  were 
at  Philippi,  and  you  can  testify  that 
our  sufferings  had  in  no  way  quelled 
our  courage  or  staggered  our  faith. 
It  sometimes  seems  to  us  that  our 
sufferings  gave  new  nerve  to  our 
courage,  and  enabled  us  to  speak  with 
a  firmer  boldness  all  that  we  knew 
of  the  mystery  of  the  Gospel.  We 
were  not  men  who  spake  unto  you 
after  the  manner  of  deceit,  or  unclean- 
ness,  or  guile.  There  was  no  trick  or 
conjuring  in  our  conduct  of  the  evan- 
gelistic ministry.  We  regarded  our- 
selves as  put  in  trust  with  the  Gospel: 
we  were  the  stewards  of  God;  fraudu- 
lence  did  not  enter  into  our  scheme 
or  purpose;  as  the  stewards  of  the 
ministry  of  God  we  had  but  one  object 
in  view,  and  we  thank  God  that  we 
were  enabled  to  challenge  all  men  to 
convict  us  of  any  unworthy  thought 
or  intention.  Perhaps,  in  the  estima- 
tion of  the  world,  we  cared  too  little 
for  what  is  known  as  personal  fame 
or  popularity.      We   never  used   the 

9 


130  INTRODUCTION 

language  of  flattery.  We  can  truly 
say  that  to  please  men  was  a  thought 
that  never  entered  into  our  minds. 
We  rebuked  many,  and  consequently 
we  set  many  in  an  attitude  of 
hostility;  but  all  this  was  inevitable, 
as  such  was  the  burden  of  the  Lord 
upon  us,  and  such  His  thrilling  call 
to  sacrifice  and  to  service.  So  careful 
were  we  that  our  purpose  should 
not  be  impaired  in  its  integrity  that 
we  would  not  be  burdensome  to  you 
as  the  apostles  of  Christ.  We  might 
have  pressed  some  reasonable  and 
honourable  claims  upon  you;  but  lest 
the  Gospel  should  be  misunderstood 
or  hindered,  we  refrained  even  from 
the  appearance  of  being  burden- 
some. Ours  was  the  spirit  of  a  gentle 
motherhood;  and  because  we  were 
affectionately  desirous  of  you  all,  we 
were  well  pleased  not  only  to  tell 
all  we  knew  of  the  Gospel  of  God — 
we  were  prepared  to  forfeit  our  own 
lives  if  by  any  means  we  might  save 
some.    You  know  we  were  not  idle 


INTRODUCTION  131 

amongst  you.  You  remember  our 
toil  and  labour — how  we  turned  night 
into  day,  and  how  we  worked  with 
our  own  hands  in  order  to  earn  our 
own  bread.  All  these  considerations 
you  must  keep  before  your  minds, 
not  only  as  so  many  happy  memories, 
but  as  so  many  strong  points  in  a 
high  argument.  Some  day  we  may 
have  need  to  call  for  witness  as  to 
the  purity  and  unselfishness  of  our 
service,  and  in  that  day  it  will  be 
our  joy  to  call  you  Thessalonian 
brethren  as  our  witnesses,  how  holily 
and  justly  and  unblamably  we  were 
amongst  you.  You  will  be  able  to 
say  that  we  were  amongst  you  as  a 
father,  encouraging  you,  and  comfort- 
ing you,  and  appealing  to  you,  our 
desire  being  that  ye  might  walk 
worthy  of  God,  who  hath  called  you 
unto  His  kingdom  and  glory. 

How  gratefully  and  fervently  we 
thank  God  without  ceasing,  that  you 
received  the  word  of  God  from  our 


132  INTRODUCTION 

lips,  not  as  the  word  of  men,  but  even 
as  it  is  truly  the  word  of  God,  which 
effectually  worketh  also  in  you  that 
believe.  There  was  nothing  foolishly 
individual  or  ostentatiously  independ- 
ent about  you.  In  our  Thessalonian 
work  we  were  unconscious  of  any 
desire  on  your  part  to  lead  where  it 
was  your  duty  only  to  follow.  You 
became  imitators  of  the  congregations 
of  God  which  are  in  Judsea.  You 
suffered  the  same  things  by  your 
countrymen  that  the  Christians  re- 
ceived at  the  hands  of  the  Jews,  who 
killed  both  the  Lord  Jesus  and  the 
prophets,  and  drove  us  out.  One  in 
suffering,  you  became  with  them  one 
in  service,  in  conduct,  and  in  hope. 
All  bad  men  we  must  leave  in  the 
hands  of  God,  for  the  divine  wrath 
will  come  upon  them  unto  comple- 
tion. Avenge  not  yourselves.  Rejoice 
always,  and  commit  yourselves  to 
unceasing  prayer,  and  God  will  see 
to  the  honour  of  His  own  name.  We 
have   felt   our   separation   from   you, 


INTRODUCTION  133 

but  we  rejoice  that  we  were  only 
orphaned  from  you  for  an  hour  or 
two,  and  we  were  orphaned  in  face 
only,  not  in  heart.  We  feel  as  if 
bereaved  of  our  children,  and  you 
probably  feel  as  if  bereaved  of  your 
parents.  Let  not  your  heart  be 
troubled,  the  separation  is  in  face 
only;  not  for  a  moment  is  there  any 
orphanhood  of  heart.  Our  separation 
made  us  long  for  you  with  great 
desire.  We  would  have  come  to  you 
once  and  again,  but  Satan  hindered 
us.  Difficulties  were  thrown  in  our 
way  which  we  could  not  trace  to  the 
divine  providence,  and  for  which  we 
could  only  account  by  the  most 
malignant  agency.  Brethren,  you  do 
not  know  how  much  you  are  to  us. 
You  are  our  wreath  of  triumph;  our 
hope  and  joy;  the  sheaves  which  will 
yield  us  bread  in  the  hour  of  hunger 
and  distress. 

I    had    a    severe    trial    at    Athens. 
You    know    that    I    have    but    little 


134  INTRODUCTION 

company  in  working  out  my  perilous 
and  fateful  apostleship.  I  was  so 
anxious  about  you,  anxious  to  know 
your  spiritual  condition,  that  I  sent 
Timotheus,  our  brother,  and  minister 
of  God,  that  he  might  communicate 
with  you,  and  establish  and  encourage 
you  concerning  your  faith.  I  could 
not  but  wonder  how  you  would  bear 
your  sorrow.  Even  whilst  we  were  with 
you  we  told  you  that  we  should  have 
to  suffer  tribulations,  and  that  the 
tempter  would  deal  sorely  with  us. 
Now  that  Timotheus  is  back  again 
we  are  encouraged  and  thankful,  and 
our  very  affliction  and  distress  have 
been  sanctified  by  means  of  your 
faith.  Now  we  live,  if  you  stand  fast 
in  the  Lord.  You  have  fought  the 
good  fight,  and  won  the  promised 
victory.  We  joy  for  your  sakes 
before  our  God.  We  feel  as  if  we 
wanted  to  give  you  something  out  of 
the  treasure  with  which  God  has 
enriched  our  own  hearts.  God  bring 
us   together   again    soon,    that   in    a 


INTRODUCTION  135 

common  fellowship  we  may  find  a 
common  joy.  May  the  Lord  make 
you  increase  and  abound  in  your  love 
towards  each  other  and  towards  all, 
even  as  we  also  abound  in  love 
towards  you.  God  establish  your 
hearts  in  holiness.  God  enable  you 
by  a  new  and  ever-brightening  vision 
to  see  how  the  Lord  Jesus  and  His 
holy  ones  are  always  coming  from 
heaven. 

There  is  one  remaining  thing  to 
which  I  must  call  your  attention. 
You  know  our  desires  and  prayers  for 
you.  Now,  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  I  exhort 
you  to  walk  and  to  please  God  in  the 
one  thing  which  I  am  about  to  name. 
We  wish  you  to  stand  fast  in  Gospel 
purity,  and  in  this  to  abound  more  and 
more.  You  know  what  command- 
ments or  announcements  we  trans- 
mitted unto  you  by  the  Lord  Jesus. 
As  the  word  of  command  is  passed 
from  soldier  to  soldier,  and  from 
teacher  to  teacher,  so  we  continue  the 


136  INTRODUCTION 

holy  announcement  that  the  will  of 
God  is  your  sanctification.  That  is 
the  great  end  and  purpose  of  Gospel 
doctrine  and  practice.  Without  holi- 
ness no  man  shall  see  the  Lord.  But 
holiness  is  not  a  state  that  can  be 
reached  by  leaps  and  bounds;  it  is 
the  last  point  in  an  often  slow 
evolution.  If  you  would  acquire  true 
holiness,  you  will  have  to  begin 
by  cutting  off  favourite  sins  and 
giving  a  distinct  "No"  to  subtle 
and  insistent  temptations.  Some  of 
you  can  hardly  begin  in  the  soul; 
you  can  only  make  a  beginning  in 
the  body.  In  this  case  holiness  begins 
by  abstinence — abstinence  from  bodily 
evil,  from  every  form  of  bodily  debase- 
ment, from  the  very  vulgarity  of  sin. 
Having  taken  up  this  negative  position, 
you  have  not  made  a  very  large  ad- 
vance in  the  direction  of  holiness — 
but  most  assuredly  you  have  made  an 
advance  in  the  right  direction,  and 
what  you  have  to  do  is  to  persevere 
until   that   which   is   almost   a   cruel 


INTRODUCTION  137 

sacrifice  becomes  a  spiritual  delight. 
You  must  be  got  out  of  the  merely 
animal  state.  It  is  an  infinite  discredit 
to  a  man  that  he  should  herd  with  the 
cattle  or  find  satisfaction  with  the 
beasts  of  the  jungle.  In  Jesus  Christ 
men  are  called  to  a  higher  manhood, 
to  a  nobler  temperance,  to  an  exem- 
plary moderation.  A  man  may  begin 
as  an  almost  beast,  then  he  may 
proceed  to  a  Gentile  licentiousness; 
but  only  in  Christ  Jesus  can  he  by 
faith  and  grace  pass  into  the  state 
of  consecration.  Know,  brethren  be- 
loved, that  God  has  called  you  unto 
holiness.  To  make  His  call  effective 
He  has  given  unto  you  His  Holy 
Spirit.  The  function  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  to  make  holy  men.  In  the 
degree  in  which  you  aspire  after  holi- 
ness you  may  rest  assured  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  operating  mightily 
within  your  soul.  This  is  the  one 
remaining  thing  which  I  wish  to  say, 
and  of  which  I  make  a  special  and 
even  an  essential  point. 


138  INTRODUCTION 

Whatever  exhortation  you  may  need 
in  the  matter  of  bodily  consecration, 
happily,  I  need  not  say  a  word  to 
you  regarding  brotherly  love.  There 
you  are  an  example  to  all  the  churches. 
Ye  yourselves  are  taught  of  God  to  the 
end  that  ye  should  love  one  another. 
It  is  delightful  to  us  to  observe  how 
the  spirit  of  brotherliness  prevails  in 
your  souls.  In  the  matter  of  brotherly 
love  you  are  the  benefactors  and 
teachers  of  us  all;  your  example  tells 
upon  all  the  brethren  in  the  whole  of 
Macedonia.  Do  let  us  encourage  you 
to  abound  more  and  more,  to  renounce 
all  foolish  ambition,  to  find  enjoyment 
in  quietness,  and  satisfaction  in  honest 
personal  labour.  Not  only  have  you 
to  show  brotherly  love  to  all  who  are 
fellow-believers,  but  you  have  to  walk 
becomingly  and  honestly  towards  those 
who  are  without.  Every  outward  want 
must  be  supplied  by  your  own  honest 
labour;  then  you  will  be  able  so  to 
live  as  not  to  bring  upon  yourselves 
the  suspicion  that  you  only  do  social 


INTRODUCTION  139 

good    that    you    may    secure    social 
reward. 

Now  a  word  upon  another  subject. 
I  would  not  that  ye  be  ignorant  con- 
cerning them  that  are  laid  to  sleep, 
that  ye  be  not  grieved  even  like  pagans 
who  have  no  hope.  You  can  look  upon 
your  lost  friends  in  one  of  two  ways — 
you  can  regard  them  as  utterly  blotted 
out,  as  having  no  more  place  or  force 
in  all  the  creation  of  God,  or  you  can 
regard  them  as  promoted  to  a  higher 
scene,  introduced  into  a  nobler  fellow- 
ship, engaged  in  a  loftier  and  wider 
service.  With  regard  to  those  of  us 
who  are  Christians  this  matter  has 
been  settled  for  us.  We  believe  that 
Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  and  for  that 
reason  we  have  the  glad  assurance  that 
all  those  who  sleep  in  Jesus,  who  are 
laid  to  sleep  on  His  breast,  shall 
God  bring  with  Him.  That  is  the 
Christian  conception  of  the  future  life. 
If  it  were  but  an  ideal,  it  would  take 
its  place  at  the  very  head  of  all  other 


140  INTRODUCTION 

conceptions  of  death  and  its  issues. 
We  stand  or  fall  in  Jesus  Christ.  If 
Jesus  Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead, 
then  the  future  of  Christian  believers 
is  an  assured  immortality.  When  you 
think  of  the  branch,  think  of  the  root. 
No  man  can  rise  of  himself,  but  every 
man  can  rise  in  Christ  Jesus.  About 
all  this  we  have  a  grand  poetic  con- 
ception. We  believe  that  the  Lord 
Himself,  in  the  voice  of  archangel  and 
in  trumpet  of  God,  even  amidst  the 
trumpetings  of  the  Eternal  One,  shall 
descend  from  heaven,  and  the  dead  in 
Christ  shall  rise,  and  as  for  those  of  us 
who  may  be  living  at  the  time,  we 
shall  be  caught  away  amidst  the  clouds 
unto  the  meeting  of  the  Lord  in  the 
air.  We  do  not  know  how  all  this  is 
to  come  to  pass.  In  the  meantime  our 
souls  are  fixed  upon  a  great  faith,  upon 
a  faith  so  grand,  indeed,  that  it  can 
afford  calmly  to  leave  all  details  as 
to  method  and  time  in  the  hands  of 
God.  Encourage  one  another  with 
these  words.     Do  not  disquiet  your- 


INTRODUCTION  141 

selves  by  going  in  quest  of  verbal 
criticism  and  statement,  but  fill  your 
souls  with  the  idea  that  when  Christ 
appears  ye  also  shall  appear  with  Him 
in  glory,  and  fix  your  minds  upon  the 
ennobling  thought  that  your  life  stands 
or  falls  with  the  life  of  Christ.  How 
glad  you  should  be  in  thinking  of 
these  things!  How  lifted  above  all 
petty  anxiety,  and  how  independent  of 
the  perplexing  criticisms  of  men  whose 
piety  is  constantly  limited  by  the 
narrow  and  spiritless  letter!  Never  let 
your  courage  go  down.  Lift  up  your 
souls  to  the  hills,  whence  cometh  your 
help,  and  know  that  the  Christian  rests 
upon  the  promise,  even  upon  the  oath 
of  Him  who  died  for  the  sins  of  the 
world.  The  Redeemer  who  shed  His 
precious  blood  is  not  likely  to  make 
light  of  the  word  or  oath  of  His  own 
soul. 

When  I  speak  of  these  great  events 
you  will  naturally  wish  me  to  go  into 
precise  details  as  to  time  and  seasons, 


142  INTRODUCTION 

but  really  there  is  no  reason  for  me 
to  write  anything  upon  such  points. 
You  yourselves  know  that  every  day 
of  the  Lord  so  cometh  as  a  thief  in 
the  night.  It  is  much  better  to  have 
a  general  faith  than  to  vex  the  mind 
with  particular  details.  You  know 
that  you  will  die,  but  you  have  no 
idea  as  to  the  particular  day  of  your 
death.  So  let  it  be  in  the  matter  of 
the  coming  of  the  Lord.  The  fact  is 
perfectly  sure,  but  what  the  hour  will 
be  is  a  secret  of  the  Lord.  When 
men  shall  say,  "Peace  and  safety," 
then  a  sudden  destruction  sets  upon 
them.  Put  no  faith  in  ignorant  human 
forecasts.  It  is  enough  for  you  to 
know  that  there  is  a  day  of  the  Lord, 
and  that  it  will  surely  come.  You 
need  not  walk  in  darkness:  you  are 
the  children  of  light,  and  the  children 
of  the  day;  we  are  not  of  the  night 
nor  of  darkness.  Let  us  not  sleep, 
as  do  others,  but  let  us  live  in  wake- 
fulness and  sobriety.  They  who  sleep, 
sleep  by  night,  and  those  who  become 


INTRODUCTION  143 

drunken  are  drunken  in  the  night; 
but  with  the  night  we  have  nothing 
to  do.  We  are  children  of  the  day, 
citizens  of  the  great  metropolis  of  light. 
On  our  breast  is  the  thick  plate  of 
faith  and  love,  and  our  head-covering, 
our  helmet,  is  nothing  less  than  a  hope 
of  salvation.  God  has  not  appointed 
us  to  wrath,  but  to  acquire  salvation 
by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  died 
for  us  that  whether  we  must  be  awake, 
or  whether  we  must  sleep,  we  might 
live  together  with  Him.  Fix  your 
minds  and  hearts  on  the  all-saving 
truth  that  Christ's  death  was  followed 
and  completed  by  His  resurrection  for 
the  express  purpose  to  secure  for  us 
a  vital  union  with  Himself.  Not 
our  bodies,  but  our  souls,  are  in  vital 
and  indissoluble  union  with  Christ. 
"The  world  seeth  Me  no  more;  but 
ye  see  me:  because  I  live,  ye  shall 
live  also."  Edify  yourselves,  build 
up  one  another,  belong  to  one  another 
as  parts  of  the  same  great  structure. 
Regard  yourselves  as  a  living  temple — 


144  INTRODUCTION 

the  very  house  or  sanctuary  of  God. 
"Know  ye  not  that  ye  are  the  temple 
of  God?  "  If  you  would  really  comfort 
yourselves,  you  must  edify  one  another. 
Every  man  can  help  to  build  up  some 
other  man's  character. 

Brethren,  recognise  and  appreciate 
those  who  minister  to  you  in  spiritual 
things.  You  cannot  understand  how 
truly  dear  you  are  to  the  pastoral 
heart.  Do  not  withdraw  your  en- 
couragement from  those  who  are  over 
you  in  the  Lord  simply  because  they 
may  sometimes  admonish  and  even 
rebuke  you.  A  rebuke  may  be  the 
beginning  of  a  benediction.  Esteem 
your  ministers  and  spiritual  leaders 
exceeding  highly  in  love  because  of 
their  work.  Always  be  at  peace 
among  yourselves.  You  as  a  church 
have  a  great  disciplinary  work  to  do, 
inasmuch  as  you  have  to  warn  them 
that  are  unruly,  and  comfort  the 
feeble-minded;  you  have  to  support 
the    weak,    and    to    be    patient    and 


INTRODUCTION  145 

longsuffering  with  all  men.  Remem- 
ber the  Master,  and  forbear  yourselves 
when  tempted  to  render  evil  for  evil 
to  any  man.  Remember  when  Christ 
was  reviled  he  reviled  not  again. 
Always  set  before  you  a  high  example, 
and  follow  that  which  is  good  with 
a  steady,  patient  desire  and  service. 
Do  not  regard  these  exhortations  as 
intended  to  depress  and  discourage 
you.  We  rather  call  upon  you  to 
rejoice  always,  and  to  pray  un- 
ceasingly. In  everything  give  thanks, 
for  this  is  God's  will  in  His  Son  Jesus 
Christ.  Never  quench  the  Holy  Spirit; 
never  even  grieve  the  Spirit.  Do  not 
despise  the  highest  gifts  which  Christ 
has  conferred  upon  his  Church.  We 
exhort  you  not  to  despise  prophesy- 
ings.  The  Church  will  always  have  its 
prophets,  and  its  high  moods,  and  its 
thrilling  enthusiasms — and  it  is  never 
for  men  of  cold  nature  or  uninspired 
temper  to  criticise  the  prophets  whom 
God  hath  clothed  with  singing  robes, 
and  whom  God  hath  commissioned  to 

10 


146  INTRODUCTION 

declare  the  highest  mysteries  of  His 
kingdom.  Give  reason  its  due  place 
in  your  Christian  education — prove, 
test,  try  everything,  and  hold  fast 
that  which  is  good.  From  every  evil 
appearance  abstain :  then  the  very  God 
of  peace  will  sanctify  you  wholly;  and 
I  pray  God  your  whole  spirit  and  soul 
and  body  be  preserved  blamelessly 
unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  The  divine  faithfulness  is 
your  security;  the  gift  and  calling 
of  God  are  without  repentance.  God 
will  redeem  His  oath.  Brethren,  pray 
for  us.  Salute  the  brethren  all  of  them 
in  a  holy  kiss.  Let  this  epistle  be 
read  unto  all  the  holy  brethren.  If 
you  have  any  divine  treasure,  call 
others  to  share  it.  Farewell.  The 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be 
with  you.     Amen. 


CHAPTER  I 

THIS  is  emphatically  an  Epistle  from  the 
heart,  and  is  in  a  sense  more  social  in 
its  authority  than  individual.  Three  men 
are  taking  part  in  the  action  of  this  Epistle. 
Paul  does  not  represent  himself  as  officially 
superior  to  Silvanus  and  Timotheus.  The 
title  " Apostle"  is  omitted,  and  the  three 
men  proceed  in  a  threefold  unity  to  touch 
upon  some  of  the  great  mysteries  and  com- 
mandments of  the  Christian  Gospel.  Paul 
is  the  undoubted  author  of  the  Epistle,  but 
he  speaks  so  definitely  in  the  plural  number 
that  Silvanus  and  Timotheus  may  be  regarded 
as  fellow-authors  of  this  letter  of  wisdom  and 
love.  The  circumstance  is  by  no  means 
insignificant.  Jesus  Christ  Himself  is  never 
associated  with  any  other  speaker  or  writer. 
He  communicated  with  men  as  from  the 
sanctuary  of  eternity;  and  when  He  elected 

147 


148  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

to  be  represented  by  a  ministry  of  men,  the 
election  was  personal,  sovereign,  and  absolute. 
The  apostles  represent,  not  displace  or  super- 
sede, Christ.  Whether  Paul  writes  in  his 
own  name  or  associates  himself  with  the 
names  of  fellow-labourers,  they  all  together  go 
back  to  Christ  as  their  origin,  and  establish 
themselves  upon  his  authority  as  supreme 
and  indivisible. 

Verse   1:  "Grace  be   unto  you,   and   peace,   from 
God  our  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

This  is  the  atmosphere  in  which  the  whole 
Epistle  is  conceived  and  put  together.  The 
apostolic  letters  were  never  mere  literary 
fragments;  they  were  written  as  if  at  the 
throne  of  God  and  issued  with  all  the 
solemnity  and  sanctity  of  conscious  eternity. 
The  apostolic  letters  are  fine  specimens  of 
sanctified  criticism.  They  were  never  bare 
letters  or  mere  intellectual  efforts,  or  simply 
social  ceremonies;  they  are  first  of  all  and 
last  of  all  deeply  and  intensely  religious. 
The  Apostles  had  nothing  to  say  of  them- 
selves; they  were  interpreters  of  a  mystery, 
or  the  channels  of  a  blessing. 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        149 

Verse  2:  "We  give  thanks  to  God  always  for 
you  all,  making  mention  of  you  in  our  prayers." 

Out  of  such  an  introduction  what  can  come 
but  peace  and  blessing  and  multiplied  tokens 
of  brotherhood?  Good  counsel  can  only  be 
given  effectively  in  a  good  spirit.  Any 
failure  or  weakness  at  the  religious  point 
means  stumbling  and  ineffectiveness  at 
points  supposed  to  be  practical  and  operative. 
When  we  truly  pray  for  our  correspondents 
we  can  write  to  them  with  edification. 
Whenever  the  Thessalonian  church,  for 
which  Paul  must  have  had  peculiar  affection, 
occurred  to  the  minds  of  the  writers,  it 
impelled  them  to  fervent  prayer  that  all 
the  joy  of  heaven  might  be  ministered  to 
them  as  they  were  able  to  receive  the 
ineffable  gladness. 

Verse  3:  "Remembering  without  ceasing  your 
work  of  faith,  and  labour  of  love,  and  patience  of 
hope  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  sight  of  God 
and  our  Father." 

In  the  Thessalonian  church  speculation 
was  superseded  by  work.  What  a  happy 
connection  of  terms  is  this  of  work  and  faith, 
labour  and  love,  patience  and  hope!    This 


150  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

is  an  instance  of  the  finest  spiritual  disci- 
pline. It  is  also  a  striking  illustration  of 
the  working  of  the  law  of  cause  and  effect. 
For  example,  where  there  is  faith  there  must 
be  work,  and  where  there  is  right  work  there 
must  be  the  right  faith.  Where  there  is  love 
there  must  be  labour,  and  where  there  is 
consecrated  labour  there  must  be  love  after 
the  quality  of  Christ's  own  affection.  Where 
there  is  patience  it  must  be  because  there  is 
hope,  and  where  there  is  hope  there  will  be  no 
difficulty  in  supplying  the  necessary  patience. 
The  work,  the  faith,  the  labour,  the  love, 
the  hope,  are  all  connected  with  the  name 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  are  regarded 
as  being  practised  and  exemplified  in  the 
sight  of  God  our  Father.  Here  are  no 
frivolous  personal  compliments.  Here  there 
is  no  indication  that  the  Thessalonians  were 
straining  themselves  in  an  almost  impossible 
attempt  to  be  impossibly  good.  The  apostolic 
salutation  may  well  be  described  as  an 
apostolic  argument.  All  the  wonders  of  the 
spiritual  life  of  the  church  of  Thessalonica 
are  ascribed  to  the  almightiness  and  the  all- 
graciousness  of  the  Spirit  of  God.    Men  may 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        151 

paint  apples,  but  only  God  can  grow  them. 
Men  may  make  great  efforts  at  goodness  and 
strain  themselves  to  the  point  of  exhaustion, 
or  even  destruction;  but  they  can  do  all 
things  through  Christ  who  strengtheneth 
them.  He  is  the  enabling  Christ — the  Christ 
who  gives  power  and  whose  power  makes 
every  Christian  effort  a  thrilling  delight. 

Verses  4,  5:  "Knowing,  brethren  beloved,  your 
election  of  God.  For  our  gospel  came  not  unto  you 
in  word  only,  but  also  in  power,  and  in  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  in  much  assurance;  as  ye  know  what 
manner  of  men  we  were  among  you  for  your  sake." 

Here  again  we  have  marked  distinctions 
in  the  application  of  terms,  notably  in  the 
case  of  "word"  as  distinguished  from 
"power,"  and  of  "men"  as  distinguished 
from  the  "Holy  Ghost."  Up  to  this  point 
we  have  had  mention  only  of  God  our  Father, 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  now  we  have 
definite  reference  to  the  personality  and 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  There  is  a  dis- 
tressing possibility  that  men  may  know  the 
Gospel  only  in  the  word  or  letter.  Men 
may  admire  the  Psalms  without  singing 
them,   or  men  may  sing  the  words  of  the 


152  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

Psalms  without  knowing  the  power  and  the 
comfort  of  their  spirit.  There  is  also  a 
distressing  possibility  that  in  hearing  the 
Gospel  men  may  listen  rather  to  the  elo- 
quence than  to  the  doctrine.  Truly  such 
hearing  means  loss  to  the  soul  and  the 
possible  loss  of  the  soul  itself.  The  heart 
knows  when  it  is  being  penetrated  and 
searched  by  the  power  of  the  Gospel.  The 
Gospel  affects  motive,  temper,  disposition,  and 
moulds  character,  and  constrains  character 
to  interpret  and  explain  itself  in  ungrudging 
and  helpful  service  on  behalf  of  others.  The 
Gospel  does  not  come  to  the  heart  as  an 
argument  that  is  barely  sufficient,  or  as  an 
answer  that  narrowly  meets  the  necessities 
of  the  soul — it  comes  in  power  and  in  much 
assurance,  like  proof  upon  proof,  evidence 
upon  evidence,  mountain  piled  upon  moun- 
tain, as  if  the  altitude  might  touch  the  very 
vicinage  of  heaven.  Christians  are  not  nar- 
rowly saved — saved  with  an  effort,  saved  with 
distress  to  the  Saviour,  as  if  one  ounce  added 
to  the  burden  would  crush  His  strength; 
they  are  saved  abundantly,  with  an  im- 
measurable  overflow   of  strength;   they  are 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        153 

saved  with  all  the  fulness  of  the  love  of 
God.  By  omitting  the  article  and  leaving 
"Holy  Ghost"  to  stand  alone  we  come  upon 
a  declaration  of  the  enthusiasm  and  the 
passion  which  are  properly  connected  with 
the  whole  idea  and  purpose  of  the  Gospel; 
then  the  passage  might  read,  "The  Gospel 
came  not  unto  you  in  word  only,  but  also 
in  power  and  in  enthusiasm,  and  in  holy 
passion,  and  in  sevenfold  assurance  of  your 
acceptance  with  God."  You  saw  what  we 
were  when  we  were  amongst  you.  You 
caught  the  holy  contagion.  We  burned  in 
a  common  fever  of  love. 

Verses  6,  7:  "And  ye  became  followers  of  us, 
and  of  the  Lord,  having  received  the  word  in  much 
affliction,  with  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost:  so  that  ye 
were  ensamples  to  all  that  believe  in  Macedonia  and 
Acliaia." 

The  word  "followers"  must  not  be  under- 
stood as  equal  to  "disciples,"  as  if  the 
writers  of  the  Epistle  were  supreme  teachers 
and  the  Thessalonian  believers  were  only 
pupils.  The  Thessalonians  were  regarded  as 
"imitators,"  as  following  the  apostles  and 
teachers  as  the  apostles  and  teachers  followed 


154  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

Christ.  The  faith  of  the  Thessalonians  was 
tested  by  "much  affliction."  This  is  the 
true  test  of  the  sincerity  and  reality  of  faith. 
Have  we  been  tried  in  the  furnace?  Have 
we  tested  our  faith  under  circumstances  of 
loss  and  pain  and  helplessness?  Where 
the  Gospel  is  only  an  intellectual  possession, 
some  thief  may  break  through  and  steal; 
when  we  have  known  the  power  of  Christ 
in  the  furnace,  or  in  the  wilderness,  or  in 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  our  life 
is  hid  with  Christ  in  God,  and  no  thief  can 
deprive  us  of  such  unspeakable  wealth.  The 
holy  church  of  Thessalonica  became  a  model 
church.  There  is  a  unit  of  the  individual; 
there  is  a  unit  of  the  church;  there  is  a 
unit  of  the  nation.  Instead  of  "ensamples" 
read  "ensample,"  and  then  you  are  face  to 
face  with  the  idea  that  the  church  in  its 
corporate  capacity  represented  an  almost  per- 
sonal spiritual  beauty  and  strength. 

Verses  8-10:  "For  from  you  sounded  out  the 
word  of  the  Lord  not  only  in  Macedonia  and  Achaia, 
but  also  in  every  place  your  faith  to  God-ward  is 
spread  abroad;  so  that  we  need  not  to  speak  anything. 
For  they  themselves  shew  of  us  what  manner  of 
entering  in  we  had  unto  you,  and  how  ye  turned  to 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        155 

God  from  idols  to  serve  the  living  and  true  God; 
and  to  wait  for  His  Son  from  heaven,  whom  He 
raised  from  the  dead,  even  Jesus,  which  delivered 
us  from  the  wrath  to  come." 


Here  is  a  marked  illustration  of  the  ever- 
widening  influence  of  true  spirituality  of 
soul.  The  influence  of  the  Thessalonians 
could  not  be  confined  to  Roman  Greece;  it 
went  out  to  the  regions  beyond,  sounding 
over  and  over  again,  until  those  who  were 
far  off  heard  and  answered  the  solemn  music. 
It  was  not  necessary  to  say  anything  about 
work  at  Thessalonica ;  the  work  spoke  for 
itself.  This  must  always  be  the  case.  The 
work  must  announce  or  report  its  own  energy 
and  beneficence,  otherwise  anything  that  can 
be  said  about  it  will  be  mere  fleshly  demon- 
stration or  unmusical  noise.  The  Church 
of  Christ  must  be  so  penetrated  by  the  Spirit 
of  Christ  that  those  who  are  outside  can 
have  no  difficulty  in  believing  in  the  funda- 
mental doctrine  of  the  Incarnation  of  God. 
The  Apostle  insists  that  conversion  is  not 
a  mere  change  of  opinion,  or  a  simple 
variety  of  attitude;  it  is  a  complete  turning 
to  God,  to  serve  the  living  and  true  God, 


156     FIRST  EPISTLE  THESSALONIANS 

and  to  hold  in  utterest  contempt  the  paltry 
idols  that  once  fascinated  our  imagination 
or  seduced  us  into  irrational  obedience  after 
the  manner  of  superstition,  and  not  after  the 
manner  of  the  highest  reason.  We  best  wait 
for  the  Son  of  God  from  heaven  by  serving 
the  living  and  true  God  upon  earth.  Our 
time  of  waiting  is  shortened  by  our  diligence 
and  energy  in  service.  If  we  sit  down  under 
the  pretence  that  we  are  waiting  for  the 
descending  Christ,  this  one  day  shall  be  as 
a  thousand  years;  but  if  we  work  mightily 
and  lovingly  in  a  very  fury  of  holy  passion, 
then  our  waiting  will  be  no  longer  a  burden, 
or  an  oppressive  sense  of  time — a  thousand 
years  will  be  as  one  day. 


CHAPTER  II 

Verses  1,  2:  "For  yourselves,  brethren,  know  our 
entrance  in  unto  you,  that  it  was  not  in  vain:  but  even 
after  that  we  had  suffered  before,  and  were  shamefully 
entreated,  as  ye  know,  at  Philippi,  we  were  bold  in 
our  God  to  speak  unto  you  the  gospel  of  God  with 
much  contention." 

YOU  remember  our  coming  amongst  you, 
and  you  will  confirm  my  word  when 
I  remind  you  that  our  anxiety  did  not  prove 
in  vain.  The  visit  did  not  end  in  itself;  it 
was  followed  by  very  striking  and  memorable 
consequences.  This  is  the  way  in  which  we 
must  always  measure  our  conduct  throughout 
the  whole  development  of  the  Christian  life. 
This  is  also  the  true  way  of  giving  religious 
reports,  or  representing  religious  statistics. 
We  are  not  content  with  the  numeral  facts; 
we  must  carry  our  whole  inspired  imagination 
into  the  necessary  train  of  sequences.  How 
large,   then,   may  become  what  is  in  itself 

157 


158  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

an  insignificant  circumstance!  If  we  look 
at  the  acorn  as  a  quantity  which  a  child 
may  handle,  we  shall  be  doing  injustice  to 
the  possibilities  of  that  pregnant  seed.  We 
must  look  forward  to  the  oak  and  all  its 
living  acorns,  and  beyond  that  we  must 
look  to  the  forests  which  are  thus  represented 
in  possibility.  If  we  so  regard  Christian 
work,  we  shall  understand  how  true  it  is 
that  "  there  shall  be  a  handful  of  corn  on 
the  top  of  the  mountains;  the  fruit  thereof 
shall  shake  like  Lebanon." 

Our  visit  to  you  would  have  been  utterly 
futile,  an  event  without  record  or  memory, 
if  we  had  allowed  ourselves  to  be  overborne 
or  disheartened  by  the  persecutions  we  had 
endured  at  Philippi,  where  we  were  outraged 
and  treated  with  all  manner  of  contumely 
and  insult.  We  came  to  you  fresh  from 
the  furnace  of  suffering,  and  with  undaunted 
courage  we  took  up  the  work  for  which  we 
had  suffered  so  severely.  The  scars  which 
were  upon  our  wounded  flesh  were  so  many 
insignia  of  honour.  We  kissed  our  wounds 
as  a  rewarded  soldier  might  kiss  his  medals, 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       159 

and  we  took  heart  to  dare  the  enemy  with 
steadfast  courage  in  the  open  field.  You 
remember  that  we  were  almost  audacious; 
our  mouth  was  open,  and  out  of  it  streamed 
speech,  free  and  candid.  We  did  not  muffle 
our  voices  because  our  backs  had  been 
flagellated.  Our  Gospel  was  the  Gospel  of 
God,  or  the  Gospel  in  God.  You  see  how 
constantly  we  go  back  to  the  sanctuary  for 
the  renewal  of  our  courage  and  the  restora- 
tion of  our  strength.  We  do  not  forget  the 
contention  with  which  we  were  confronted; 
the  struggle,  the  conflict,  the  fight,  we  must 
remember  for  ever.  We  struggled  against 
difficulties,  and  we  overcame  them  all;  we 
endured  distress,  and  passed  through  the 
darkened  aisles  of  trouble  and  forsakeness 
into  the  crystal  sanctuary  of  light  and  peace 
and  triumphant  music. 

Verses  3,  4:  "For  our  exhortation  was  not  of 
deceit,  nor  of  uncleanness,  nor  in  guile:  but  as  we 
were  allowed  of  God  to  be  put  in  trust  with  the 
gospel,  even  so  we  speak;  not  as  pleasing  men,  but 
God,  which  trieth  our  hearts." 

This  is  the  explanation  of  our  frankness 
or  audacity.     If  we  had  been  speaking  out 


160  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

of  a  doubtful  mind,  we  should  have  spoken  in 
a  hesitant  tone.  It  is  faith  that  determines 
a  man's  service.  If  we  had  been  conscious 
of  any  misgivings  about  our  doctrine  or  any 
suspicions  as  to  our  motives,  then,  indeed, 
our  fortitude  would  have  forsaken  us;  our 
tone  might  have  been  blatant,  but  it  would 
have  lacked  the  military  tone,  the  piercing 
warrior  paean  which  is  a  sure  sign  of  inward 
and  spiritual  strength.  We  did  not  suffer 
from  a  deceitful  or  wandering  mind,  which 
always  accompanies  religious  delusion  and 
speculative  uncertainty.  When  the  preacher 
is  uncertain  in  his  own  soul  it  is  impossible 
that  his  trumpet  can  give  a  certain  sound. 
In  the  whole  Christian  ministry  holiness  is 
power.  We  received  our  ministry  from  God, 
by  whom  we  were  put  in  trust  with  the 
Gospel.  God  made  us  trustees  of  the  holy 
oracles.  Paul  was  entrusted  with  a  steward- 
ship. He  says,  "  A  dispensation  of  the  gospel 
is  committed  unto  me"  (1  Cor.  ix.  17).  And 
again  he  says,  "  According  to  the  glorious 
gospel  of  the  blessed  God,  which  was  com- 
mitted to  my  trust"  (1  Tim.  i.  11).  He  who 
has  been  face  to  face  with  God  will  not  fear 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        161 

the  face  of  man.  We  do  not  like  to  be  men- 
pleasers  or  eye-servants.  "If  I  yet  pleased 
men,  I  should  not  be  the  servant  of  Christ" 
(Gal.  i.  10).  We  made  no  pretence  amongst 
you  that  we  were  seeking  mere  popularity; 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  our  ministry 
we  honestly  sought  the  smile  of  God. 

Verses  5-9 :  "  For  neither  at  any  time  used  we 
flattering  words,  as  ye  know,  nor  a  cloke  of 
covetousness;  God  is  witness:  nor  of  men  sought 
we  glory,  neither  of  you,  nor  yet  of  others,  when 
we  might  have  been  burdensome,  as  the  apostles  of 
Christ.  But  we  were  gentle  among  you,  even  as  a 
nurse  cherisheth  her  children:  so  being  affectionately 
desirous  of  you,  we  were  willing  to  have  imparted 
unto  you,  not  the  gospel  of  God  only,  but  also  our 
own  souls,  because  ye  were  dear  unto  us.  For  ye 
remember,  brethren,  our  labour  and  travail:  for 
labouring  night  and  day,  because  we  would  not  be 
chargeable  unto  any  of  you,  we  preached  unto  you 
the  gospel  of  God." 

We  know  that  in  addressing  multitudes  of 
men  there  is  a  strong  temptation  to  speak 
flattering  words.  Instead  of  eliciting  cheers 
we  evoked  every  possible  sign  of  contempt 
and  revulsion.  If  we  had  been  speaking  in 
our  own  name,  we  might  have  been  seduced 
into  flattery.  We  might  have  thrown  over 
our  shoulders  a  cloak  of  covetousness  and 

11 


162  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

self-seeking;  but  we  were  the  stewards  of 
God,  and  it  is  expected  of  stewards  that  a 
man  be  found  trustworthy.  We  did  not 
even  flatter  you,  our  friends  and  superiors. 
We  sought  no  glory  from  you;  we  never 
insisted  on  our  rights;  we  were  jealous  of 
ourselves  lest  we  might  become  burdensome 
to  you,  thus  making  a  kind  of  merchandise 
of  your  Christian  faith.  A  fearless  ministry 
will  often  be  tempestuous,  but  in  the  end 
it  will  bring  in  its  train  the  infinite  peace 
of  God.  Remember  that  we  were  gentle 
amongst  you;  no  nurse  could  be  tenderer. 
We  regarded  you  as  our  children,  and  we 
were  affectionately  desirous  of  you.  Our 
hearts  longed  for  you — they  went  out  to 
you  in  great  solicitude  and  yearning;  so  we 
kept  nothing  back  from  you.  If  you  could 
have  been  benefited  by  our  flesh  and  blood, 
we  were  prepared  to  lay  down  our  lives  for 
Christ's  sake,  because  ye  were  dear  unto  us. 
We  found  a  great  reward  in  our  working. 
Our  preaching  was  mixed  up  with  labour 
night  and  day,  for  we  were  most  anxious  that 
in  nothing  should  the  gospel  of  the  love  of 
God  be  hindered.     We  asked  for  no  wages, 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS         163 

we   coveted    no    applause;   our   travail   and 
our  sorrow  constituted  our  reward. 

Verses  10-12:  "Ye  are  witnesses,  and  God  also, 
how  holily  and  justly  and  unblameably  we  behaved 
ourselves  among  you  that  believe:  as  ye  know  how 
we  exhorted  and  comforted  and  charged  every  one 
of  you,  as  a  father  doth  his  children,  that  ye  would 
walk  worthy  of  God,  who  hath  called  you  unto  His 
kingdom  and  glory." 

We  do  not  forget  what  God  enabled  us 
to  do  in  your  midst.  We  are  not  boasting 
of  our  unselfishness;  we  are  magnifying  the 
grace  of  God,  who  enabled  us  to  interpret  the 
Gospel  through  the  medium  of  our  secular 
independence.  We  walked  holily,  justly,  and 
without  blame  before  God  and  towards  man. 
You  must  in  part  interpret  our  doctrine  by 
our  character.  If  we  had  preached  one  thing 
and  lived  another,  we  should  stand  openly 
convicted  and  should  deserve  the  wrath  of 
God.  Do  not  misunderstand  us.  Again  and 
again  I  would  say  that  this  is  no  boasting 
on  our  part;  it  is  a  tribute  to  the  unfailing 
grace  of  God.  Nor  are  we  boasting  of  our 
strength  as  if  everything  came  easily  to  us. 
Ours  was  not  a  grace,  but  a  virtue ;  that  is  to 
say,  it  was  not  natural  piety,  or  indifference  to 


164  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

secular  and  social  circumstances.  Our  souls 
were  put  under  a  great  stress,  so  that  the 
result  was  not  as  fruit  that  blooms  in  the  sun, 
but  as  a  trophy  that  is  taken  in  war.  If 
we  remember  our  courage,  we  remember  also 
our  tenderness,  the  fatherly  love  which  flows 
out  to  the  children.  God  is  great  in  might; 
if  possible,  He  is  still  greater  in  mercy.  You 
must  not  only  think  of  us  as  great  warriors, 
but  as  gentle  fathers,  mothers,  and  nurses. 
The  warrior  fights  on  the  battlefield,  but  the 
father  ministers  at  home.  We  bore  the  strain 
of  our  solicitude  and  our  anxious  love  because 
we  thought  we  saw  in  you  such  growth  in 
grace  as  warranted  us  in  believing  that  you 
were  daily  walking  with  God  and  entering 
into  ever-deepening  fellowship  with  the  spirit 
of  His  kingdom.  The  kingdom  of  God  is 
a  present  possession.  The  glory  of  God  is  a 
present  vision.  The  kingdom  and  the  glory 
are  both  present  and  future.  "Who  hath 
delivered  us  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and 
hath  translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  His 
dear  Son"  (Col.  i.  13).  In  another  passage 
the  Apostle  Paul  refers  to  the  kingdom  of 
God  as  the  future  and  expected  inheritance: 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        165 

"The  Lord  will  preserve  me  unto  His  heavenly 
kingdom"  (2  Tim.  iv.  18).  After  the  same 
manner  Peter  delivers  himself:  "An  entrance 
shall  be  ministered  unto  you  abundantly  into 
the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ"  (2  Peter  i.  11).  We 
must  not  part  with  the  word  "glory"  when 
we  think  of  the  present  possession  and  the 
future  realisation  of  the  divine  kingdom. 
Glory  is,  as  it  were,  the  very  light  of  light — 
an  effulgence  that  issues  from  some  unseen 
and  infinite  fountain  of  radiance.  It  is  a 
word  which  Jesus  Christ  himself  used:  "Said 
I  not  unto  thee,  that,  if  thou  wouldest  believe, 
thou  shouldest  see  the  glory  of  God?"  (John 
xi.  40.)  There  is  a  noontide  in  Christian 
experience — a  time  of  summer  cloudlessness, 
the  very  zenith  of  spiritual  pomp.  When  we 
realise  the  glory  of  that  zenith  in  our  earthly 
experience  we  may  so  multiply  it  as  to 
gladden  our  souls  with  some  impression  of 
what  the  glory  must  be  which  is  yet  to  be 
revealed.  "The  sufferings  of  this  present 
time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the 
glory  which  shall  be  revealed  in  us"  (Rom. 
viii.    18).      Paul    comforts    the    Corinthian 


166  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

Christians,  and  through  them  the  whole 
Church  of  God,  by  speaking  of  "a  far  more 
exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory,"  which 
is  to  drive  out  of  our  minds  our  momentary 
endurance  of  light  afflictions. 


Verse  13:  "For  this  cause  also  thank  we  God 
without  ceasing,  because,  when  ye  received  the  word 
of  God  which  ye  heard  of  us,  ye  received  it  not  as 
the  word  of  men,  but  as  it  is  in  truth,  the  word  of 
God,  which  effectually  worketh  also  in  you  that 
believe." 


We  gladly  remember  how  eagerly  you 
accepted  the  word  of  God  which  you  heard 
of  us.  You  did  not  only  listen  to  it;  you 
received  it,  you  accepted  it,  you  eagerly 
appropriated  it,  and  made  it  as  the  food  and 
nutriment  of  your  souls.  This  was  evident, 
because  the  word  of  God  effectually  worked 
in  you  who  believed.  It  was  not  a  merely 
intellectual  luxury — it  was  a  moral  discipline, 
and  it  came  out  most  expressively  and 
helpfully  in  the  very  conduct  and  manner  of 
your  life.  Your  doctrine  was  not  a  dead 
dogma;  it  was  an  operative  force.  "Faith 
works  by  love"  (Gal.  v.  6);  "The  power  of 
God  which  worketh  in  us"  (Eph.  hi.  20). 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        167 

Verses  14-16:  "For  ye,  brethren,  became  followers 
of  the  churches  of  God  which  in  Judaea  are  in 
Christ  Jesus:  for  ye  also  have  suffered  like  things 
of  your  own  countrymen,  even  as  they  have  of  the 
Jews:  who  both  killed  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  their 
own  prophets,  and  have  persecuted  us;  and  they 
please  not  God,  and  are  contrary  to  all  men:  for- 
bidding us  to  speak  to  the  Gentiles  that  they  might 
be  saved,  to  fill  up  their  sins  alway:  for  the  wrath 
is  come  upon  them  to  the  uttermost." 

Remember  that  you  belong  to  a  glorious 
succession.  The  churches  of  God  are  not 
separated  from  one  another  like  unrelated 
diamonds.  The  living  churches  of  the  living 
God  are  part  of  a  great  redemptive  scheme 
and  mediation.  They  are  partakers  of  a 
common  suffering.  You  yourselves  have 
suffered  many  things  of  your  own  country- 
men. Remember  that  the  Jews  killed  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  their  own  prophets 
drove  us  out,  and  they  are  hostile  to  all 
men.  They  are  filling  up  the  vessel  of  their 
own  sin,  and  it  will  become  to  them  as  the 
cup  of  the  divine  wrath.  Do  not  imagine 
that  bad  men  carry  all  things  their  own 
way,  and  that  they  live  at  a  table  of  luxury 
and  delight,  turning  the  very  blood  of  the 
Christian   household   into   wine  which   their 


168  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

drunken  souls  can  drink.  True,  indeed,  they 
have  their  revels,  their  nightly  carousals, 
bacchanalian  orgies;  but  they  little  know 
that  they  are  filling  up  a  great  cup  of 
judgment  which  they  will  have  to  drink  to 
the  dregs.  We  do  not  see  the  whole  scheme 
of  providence  yet.  A  veil  may  be  drawn 
over  the  judgment  which  means  wrath,  as 
well  as  over  the  judgment  which  means 
heaven.  By-and-by  we  shall  see  how  bad 
men  have  been  fattening  for  the  slaughter, 
and  what  terrible  vengeance  God  will  take 
upon  those  who  have  despised  His  name. 
Some  men  reject  the  Gospel  by  hindering 
it;  some  men  hinder  the  Gospel  by  rejecting 
it.  God  will  judge.  His  glittering  sword 
has  lost  nothing  of  the  keenness  of  its  edge. 

Verses  17-20:  "But  we,  brethren,  being  taken  from 
you  for  a  short  time  in  presence,  not  in  heart,  en- 
deavoured the  more  abundantly  to  see  your  face  with 
great  desire.  Wherefore  we  would  have  come  unto 
you,  even  I  Paul,  once  and  again;  but  Satan  hindered 
us.  For  what  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  re- 
joicing? Are  not  even  ye  in  the  presence  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  at  His  coming?  For  ye  are  our 
glory  and  joy." 

But  we  must  not  dwell  altogether  upon 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS         169 

the  fearful  side  of  divine  providence.  He 
would  be  a  foolish  teacher  who  ignored  the 
dark  cloud  in  which  the  divine  thunderbolt 
slumbers;  but  he  would  be  unwiser  still 
who  does  not  turn  his  eyes  to  the  Shechinah 
which  glows  upon  the  Christian  host  with 
a  brightness  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun. 
We  are  orphaned  from  you  for  a  moment — 
for  an  hour  at  the  most;  but  our  hearts  have 
never  been  sundered,  for  they  are  one  in 
Christ.  Satan  has  his  little  momentary 
triumphs.  He  hindered  us  once  and  again 
from  corning  to  you,  but  his  hindrance  cannot 
endure  for  ever.  We  shall  not  be  kept  back 
from  our  hope  and  joy  and  crown  of  rejoicing. 
"  Dearly  beloved  and  longed  for,  my  joy  and 
crown"  (Phil.  iv.  1).  We  are  coming  to 
you,  and  you  are  coming  to  us,  and  Jesus 
is  coming  to  us  both,  and  we  are  going  to 
Jesus — and  out  of  all  this  coming  and  going 
there  shall  arise  a  holy  fellowship,  a  glorious 
and  indestructible  brotherhood. 


CHAPTER  III 

Verses  1-3:  "Wherefore  when  we  could  no  longer 
forbear,  we  thought  it  good  to  be  left  at  Athens 
alone;  and  sent  Timotheus,  our  brother,  and  minister 
of  God,  and  our  fellow-labourer  in  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  to  establish  you,  and  to  comfort  you  con- 
cerning your  faith:  that  no  man  should  be  moved 
by  these  afflictions:  for  yourselves  know  that  we  are 
appointed  thereunto." 

SO  anxious  was  the  Apostle  to  have  precise 
tidings  respecting  his  friends  at  Thes- 
salonica  that  he  preferred  loneliness  in  a 
foreign  city  to  the  gnawing  anxiety  which 
tormented  his  heart  respecting  his  unseen 
friends.  There  were  people  enough  at  Athens, 
but  no  companions  of  the  soul;  plenty  of 
noise,  but  no  music;  swarms  of  people,  but 
no  kindred  hearts.  To  part  with  Timotheus 
under  such  circumstances  was  indeed  to  incur 
a  great  loss,  whether  Timotheus  himself  was 
directly  sent,  or  whether  the  meaning  is  that 
Paul  sent  him  a  message  entreating  him,  if 

170 


FIRST  EPISTLE  THESSALONIANS     171 

not  commanding  him,  to  go  back  from  Berea 
to  Thessalonica  before  he  followed  Paul  into 
Greece.  It  comes  to  the  same  thing  in  regard 
to  the  Apostle's  personal  anxiety  as  to  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  his  friends.  Sometimes 
one  heart  is  all  the  world  to  us.  So  it  must 
oftentimes  have  been  with  the  Apostle  in 
his  lonely  travels.  When  he  said,  "Only 
Luke  is  with  me,"  only  those  who  have 
passed  through  the  mystery  of  heart-solitude 
can  understand  the  depth  of  his  emotion.  At 
one  period  the  Apostle  was  utterly  forsaken  of 
men,  yet  with  a  cry  of  triumph  he  exclaimed, 
" Notwithstanding,  the  Lord  stood  by  me!" 
We  know  from  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
that  Paul  was  not  long  idle  at  Athens. 
The  Thessalonians  needed  confirmation — the 
Athenians  needed  instruction  and  spiritual 
enlightenment.  Timotheus  could  comfort  the 
church;  Paul  could  rouse  and  evangelise  the 
world.  In  effect,  Paul  said  to  the  Thessa- 
lonians, "Though  you  knew  that  afflictions 
must  come,  yet  even  the  strongest  of  us  must 
have  encouragement  and  support  in  the  hour 
of  trial."  It  is  always  so  in  human  discipline; 
though  we  know  that  afflictions,  and  offences, 


172  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

and  sharpest  trials  must  come,  God  never 
allows  affliction  to  fall  without  supplying 
the  balm  and  the  comfort  needed  by  human 
suffering. 

Verses  4,  5:  "For  verily,  when  we  were  with  you, 
we  told  you  before  that  we  should  suffer  tribulation; 
even  as  it  came  to  pass,  and  ye  know.  For  this 
cause,  when  I  could  no  longer  forbear,  I  sent  to  know 
your  faith,  lest  by  some  means  the  tempter  have 
tempted  you,  and  our  labour  be  in  vain." 

You  had  warning  enough  about  the  coming 
affliction,  but  the  soul  cannot  live  upon 
warning.  Warning  may  represent  the  nega- 
tive aspect  of  experience,  whilst  comfort  and 
confirmation  may  well  represent  its  positive 
aspect.  It  is  not  enough  that  we  know  there 
is  an  enemy  of  souls;  it  is  also  required  that 
the  soul  shall  be  continually  energised  and 
fortified  by  the  ministry  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
We  need  men  like  Paul  to  care  for  us.  "We 
then  that  are  strong  ought  to  bear  the 
infirmities  of  the  weak."  God  has  so  ordained 
His  providence  that  man  can  comfort  man 
and  thus  help  to  repel  the  seductions  and 
temptations  of  the  evil  one.  The  enemy  is 
always  busy  with  hearts  that  are  undergoing 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        173 

the  process  of  sanctification.  We  must 
remember  in  the  hour  of  assault  that  no 
temptation  has  happened  unto  us  but  such  as 
is  common  to  man. 

Verses  6-8 :  "  But  now  when  Timotheus  came 
from  you  unto  us,  and  brought  us  good  tidings  of 
your  faith  and  charity,  and  that  ye  have  good  re- 
membrance of  us  always,  desiring  greatly  to  see  us, 
as  we  also  to  see  you:  therefore,  brethren,  we 
were  comforted  over  you  in  all  our  affliction  and 
distress  by  your  faith:  for  now  we  live,  if  ye  stand 
fast  in  the  Lord." 

The  Apostle  responded  to  good  news.  A 
father  is  glad  when  his  son  brings  home  from 
school  a  good  certificate:  a  record  of  good 
behaviour  is  to  the  parental  soul  as  a  gospel 
from  God.  The  assurance  that  the  afflicted 
one  has  passed  some  difficult  point  in  the 
illness  and  is  now  looking  forward  to  restora- 
tion is  joy  unspeakable.  Pastors  can  receive 
no  greater  encouragement  than  to  hear  that 
those  whom  God  has  permitted  them  to  con- 
vert are  standing  fast  in  the  faith,  and 
abounding  in  all  the  usefulness  of  growing 
service.  Let  a  pastor  know  that  his  work 
is  bearing  fruit  and  he  will  by  that  intelli- 
gence be  comforted  in  all  his  affliction  and 


174  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

distress.  The  Apostle  grew  young  again 
when  he  discovered  that  his  Thessalonian 
disciples  were  standing  fast  in  the  Lord. 
What  artist  is  not  gratified  by  the  satisfactory 
completion  of  his  picture?  What  architect 
is  not  comforted  when  the  last  stone  is 
brought  on  with  shoutings  of  "  Grace,  grace, 
unto  it"?  What  father  is  not  rejoiced  when 
his  son  becomes  a  man  in  years  and  in  social 
status?  It  is  even  so  with  apostles,  ministers, 
and  teachers;  when  the  seed  they  have  sown 
springs  up  and  gives  promise  of  good  fruit, 
their  souls  are  filled  with  thankfulness  and 
their  lips  thrill  with  praise. 

Verses  9,  10:  "For  what  thanks  can  we  render 
to  God  again  for  you,  for  all  the  joy  wherewith  we 
joy  for  your  sakes  before  our  God;  night  and  day 
praying  exceedingly  that  we  might  see  your  face, 
and  might  perfect  that  which  is  lacking  in  your 
faith?" 

How  can  we  repay  God  for  the  good  news 
which  we  have  received  concerning  you? 
This  good  news  has  put  a  new  song  into  our 
mouth,  so  much  so  that  our  daily  service  is 
a  daily  psalm.  Wherever  we  go  people  hear 
us  loudly  singing,   and  when  they  ask  the 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       175 

reason  of  our  delight,  our  transport  and  our 
joy,  we  cannot  but  declare  unto  them  the 
miracles  of  grace  which  have  been  wrought 
in  the  church  of  Thessalonica.  In  this  work 
of  thanksgiving  night  and  day  have  become 
as  one,  and  now  we  have  no  broken  time, 
for  the  psalm  of  gratitude  flows  through  all 
the  hours  and  makes  the  night  as  the  day, 
and  the  day  sevenfold  in  brightness. 

Verses  11-13:  "Now  God  Himself  and  our  Father, 
and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  direct  our  way  unto  you. 
And  the  Lord  make  you  to  increase  and  abound  in 
love  one  toward  another,  and  toward  all  men,  even 
as  we  do  toward  you:  to  the  end  He  may  stablish 
your  hearts  unblameable  in  holiness  before  God,  even 
our  Father,  at  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
with  all  His  saints." 

You  have  only  begun  the  Christian  course. 
Sometimes  we  think  that  the  Christian  course 
can  never  be  more  than  a  beginning — so  much 
has  to  be  done  in  the  culture  and  perfecting 
of  the  soul  in  the  light  and  truth  and 
comfort  of  God.  Our  prayer  is  that  the  Lord 
may  make  you  increase  and  abound  in  love 
towards  each  other  and  towards  all,  even  as 
we  also  abound  in  love  towards  you.  Never 
stand  still  in  the  divine  life.     Never  attempt 


176  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

to  put  a  period  to  the  process  of  spiritual 
enlightenment  and  edification.  Prove  that 
you  abound  in  love  towards  God  by  abound- 
ing in  love  one  towards  another.  Out  of  all 
this  love  there  will  come  a  great  establishing 
of  the  heart  in  holiness  before  God.  Love 
is  discipline.  Love  makes  itself  known  by 
inspired  courage  and  unceasing  beneficence. 
Christianity  must  be  translated  into  character 
if  ever  it  is  to  impress  the  world  and  con- 
strain men  to  cry  out  that  surely  where 
the  conduct  is  so  noble  the  motive  must 
be  of  kindred  quality.  Brethren,  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  is  coming,  always  coming,  almost 
visibly  coming;  we  are  to  live  in  high  expec- 
tation that  He  may  in  some  way  or  other 
come  to  His  Church  as  sunshine  comes  to 
flowers  wet  with  the  dews  of  night.  See  that 
you  do  not  interpret  the  coming  of  the  Lord 
too  narrowly.  Wherever  there  is  increase 
of  love,  wherever  there  is  a  deepening  regard 
for  truth,  wherever  there  is  a  broader  and  ten- 
derer charity,  wherever  there  is  a  growing 
up  into  the  very  love  of  God — where,  I  say, 
these  things  are  manifest,  so  manifest  as  to  be 
indisputable,  be  sure  that  the  Lord  is  at  hand, 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       177 

and  that  His  kingdom  is  being  set  up  as  the 
sovereignty  that  will  subdue  all  rival  ideas 
of  health  and  progress  and  rest.  Where 
Christianity  comes,  Christ  comes.  Where  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  the  Lord  Himself 
is.  Instead,  therefore,  of  looking  for  any 
sign  that  is  visible  or  transient,  let  us  look 
for  those  better  signs  discernible  only  by 
the  soul  and  which  abide  with  the  soul  as 
lights  that  cannot  be  extinguished. 


12 


CHAPTER  IV 

Verse  1 :  "  Furthermore  then  we  beseech  you, 
brethren,  and  exhort  you  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  as 
ye  have  received  of  us  how  ye  ought  to  walk  and  to 
please  God,  so  ye  would  abound  more  and  more." 

AS  we  are  struck  by  the  maturity  of  the 
.  Apostle's  own  character  and  service, 
so  we  cannot  but  be  impressed  by  the  imma- 
ture condition  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
Thessalonian  Christians.  The  letter  might 
have  been  written  to  little  children  in  the 
Lord.  How  much  exhortation  they  needed! 
How  important  it  was  that  they  should  set 
before  themselves  the  high  object  of  pleasing 
God!  How  essential  that  they  should  not 
drop  even  into  a  moment's  idleness,  because 
of  the  energy  and  cruelty  of  the  tempter 
who  was  continually  watching  their  souls! 
We  must  never  forget  in  reading  the  Epistles 
that  they  were  addressed  to  persons  who 
represented    the   most    elementary   form   of 

178 


FIRST  EPISTLE  THESSALONIANS     179 

Christian  life.  The  early  churches  of  Christ 
were  in  many  respects  hardly  distinguished 
from  the  nations  of  the  world.  Hence  the 
need  of  patience  on  the  part  of  the  Apostles, 
and  hence  the  need  of  continual  reminders 
even  of  the  simplest  discipline  and  duty.  We 
are  entitled  to  go  to  the  Apostles  themselves 
for  a  very  high  illustration  of  Christian  faith 
and  conduct,  but  we  are  not  entitled  to  make 
the  early  churches  models  of  Christian  holi- 
ness and  consecration.  We  must  always 
distinguish  between  the  writer  and  the  re- 
ceiver of  an  apostolic  epistle. 

Verses  2-8:  "For  ye  know  what  commandments 
we  gave  you  by  the  Lord  Jesus.  For  this  is  the 
will  of  God,  even  your  sanctification,  that  ye  should 
abstain  from  fornication:  that  every  one  of  you 
should  know  how  to  possess  his  vessel  in  sanctification 
and  honour;  not  in  the  lust  of  concupiscence,  even 
as  the  Gentiles  which  know  not  God:  that  no  man 
go  beyond  and  defraud  his  brother  in  any  matter: 
because  that  the  Lord  is  the  avenger  of  all  such, 
as  we  also  have  forewarned  you  and  testified.  For 
God  hath  not  called  us  unto  uncleanness,  but  unto 
holiness.  He  therefore  that  despiseth,  despiseth  not 
man,  but  God,  who  hath  also  given  unto  us  His 
holy  Spirit." 

The  Apostle  falls  back  upon  the  simple 
commandments   which   had   been   given   to 


180  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

the  Thessalonians  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
calls  upon  his  friends  at  Thessalonica  to 
remember  that  God's  will  desired  nothing 
short  of  the  consecration  or  sanctification  of 
Christian  believers.  This  holy  work  began, 
as  it  were,  in  its  more  practical  aspects,  from 
the  outside,  though  in  Christian  life  nothing 
can  succeed  externally  that  does  not  express 
the  working  of  an  inward  and  spiritual 
motive.  The  church  at  Thessalonica  was  in 
the  most  infantile  stages  of  personal  dis- 
cipline. The  members  of  the  church  had 
to  be  told  just  like  little  children  to  watch 
their  conduct  and  to  control  their  manners. 
Every  member  of  the  body  was  to  be  dis- 
ciplined with  the  discipline  of  Christ.  The 
hand,  the  eye,  and  every  other  member  of 
the  body  was  to  be  held  in  servitude,  and 
to  be  pressed  into  the  service  of  the  soul. 
The  blood  was  never  to  be  so  feverish  as  to 
discourage  or  thwart  the  upward  desires  of 
the  spirit.  "Know  ye  not  that  your  body 
is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is 
in  you?"  (1  Cor.  vi.  19.)  "The  body  is 
for  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  for  the  body. 
And   God   hath   both   raised   up   the   Lord, 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        181 

and  will  also  raise  up  us  by  His  own 
power"  (1  Cor.  vi.  13,  14).  "He  that 
raised  up  Christ  from  the  dead  shall  also 
quicken  your  mortal  bodies  by  His  Spirit 
that  dwelleth  in  you"  (Rom.  viii.  11). 
"Know  ye  not  that  your  bodies  are  the 
members  of  Christ?"  (1  Cor.  vi.  15.)  It 
will  thus  be  seen  that  the  exhortation  of 
the  Apostle  was  not  directed  solely  to  the 
Thessalonian  church;  it  was  addressed  to  all 
the  other  churches  over  whose  culture  he 
pastorally  presided.  Whilst  all  this  discipline 
was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  body,  the 
Apostle  fervently  insisted  that  the  asceticism 
which  pretends  to  despise  the  body  has  no 
sanction  in  the  revelation  of  God  as  given 
in  Holy  Scripture.  "Which  things  have 
indeed  a  shew  of  wisdom  in  will  worship,  and 
humility,  and  neglecting  of  the  body;  not  in 
any  honour  to  the  satisfying  of  the  flesh" 
(Col.  ii.  23).  Thus  a  clear  line  of  demarca- 
tion is  drawn  between  the  inordinate  affection, 
or  passion,  and  the  worship  which  is  due  to 
so  noble  an  instance  of  creative  power  as 
the  body  of  man,  in  which  the  soul  holds 
its  high  court.    Up  to  a  certain  point  pagan 


182  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

and  Christian  are  alike  in  physical  constitu- 
tion, and  at  that  point  the  Christian  separates 
from  the  pagan  by  so  cultivating  the  spiritual 
as  to  hold  the  physical  in  abject  servitude. 
All  the  callings  of  God  are  towards  the 
higher  life.  We  may  test  the-  divinity  of 
our  call  by  knowing  whether  it  is  a  move- 
ment in  the  direction  of  holiness  or  in  the 
direction  of  uncleanness.  God  never  calls 
us  downward  to  animalism,  but  ever  upwards 
in  a  willing  obedience  to  the  sovereignty 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Christian  need  have 
no  difficulty  whatever  in  ascertaining  whether 
he  is  on  the  right  road  or  the  wrong.  Any 
road  that  leads  to  mere  indulgence,  to  base 
satisfactions,  is  by  so  much  self-condemned; 
any  call  towards  self-sacrifice,  spiritual  am- 
bition, unselfish  service,  holier  life,  is  at  once 
self-certified. 

Verses  9-12:  "But  as  touching  brotherly  love  ye 
need  not  that  I  write  unto  you:  for  ye  yourselves  are 
taught  of  God  to  love  one  another.  And  indeed  ye  do 
it  toward  all  the  brethren  which  are  in  all  Macedonia: 
but  we  beseech  you,  brethren,  that  ye  increase  more  and 
more;  and  that  ye  study  to  be  quiet,  and  to  do  your 
own  business,  and  to  work  with  your  own  hands,  as 
we  commanded  you;  that  ye  may  walk  honestly 
toward  them  that  are  without,  and  that  ye  may  have 
lack  of  nothing." 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       183 

You  have  been  driven  by  circumstances  to 
find  comfort  in  one  another.  Because  of 
outward  temptations  and  trials  you  have 
been  led  to  seek  brotherhood  within  your- 
selves, and  happily  this  brotherhood  has 
resulted  in  a  continual  increase  of  Christian 
love.  You  have  entered  into  the  larger 
family.  You  now  find  your  kinsfolk  not 
amongst  your  blood  relations,  but  amongst 
those  who  love  the  law  of  God,  and  draw 
their  sustenance  from  the  very  fountain  of 
the  Cross.  The  lowest  kinship  is  that  which 
is  of  the  flesh.  A  man  may  cease  to  be  the 
brother  of  his  own  mother's  son — nay,  more, 
the  time  may  come  when  by  his  growth  of 
soul  he  becomes  a  stranger  to  the  very 
mother  who  gave  him  birth.  This  should 
not  be  necessarily  so.  Happy  is  the  condi- 
tion which  represents  a  true  union  both  of 
body  and  soul;  but  if  there  is  to  be  any 
separation  from  eld  associations,  any  severing 
of  the  dearest  family  ties,  let  the  severing 
take  place  in  obedience  to  the  divine  law  of 
growth  and  consecration.  "Whosoever  shall 
do  the  will  of  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven, 
the   same   is   My   brother,    and   sister,    and 


184  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

mother."  There  is  a  love  which  is  void  by 
generality.  Such  love  is  not  indicated  by 
the  Apostle  in  this  instance.  He  refers  ex- 
clusively to  the  love  of  man  to  man  because 
of  the  common  love  of  a  common  Saviour. 

A  very  simple  duty  is  enjoined  upon  the 
Thessalonian  Christians — namely,  "That  ye 
study  to  be  quiet,  and  to  do  your  own  busi- 
ness, and  to  work  with  your  own  hands." 
Quietness  was  set  before  the  Thessalonians 
as  a  high  ambition.  Once  they  had  been 
ambitious  to  make  a  figure  amongst  the 
churches.  There  is  a  ministry  of  quietness. 
It  would  seem  as  if  the  Apostle  urged  upon 
the  Thessalonians  to  agitate  for  calmness. 
Peace  was  not  to  be  a  negative  of  force, 
but  the  last  result  and  expression  of  a 
divinely  inspired  ambition.  The  whole  church 
was  to  do  its  own  business  with  quietness. 
As  we  have  seen,  the  church  is  a  unit  as 
well  as  individuals.  The  Apostle  would  have 
his  correspondents  work  with  their  own 
hands.  Probably  the  most  of  them  belonged 
to  what  we  call  the  working  classes;  but 
now  in  another  sense  he  would  have  them 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        185 

work  for  peace,  to  organise  for  rest,  to  be 
ambitious  to  attain  a  high  state  of  tran- 
quillity. The  Apostle  had  not  overlooked 
the  good  results  which  would  flow  from 
honest  working  and  walking  towards  "them 
that  are  without."  Such  working  would  be 
the  best  answer  to  heathen  suspicion,  and 
such  working  would  be  the  best  guarantee 
for  the  true  wealth  of  the  church  itself.  It 
is  not  enough  to  satisfy  outward  criticism; 
we  are  to  remember  that  when  we  do  good 
we  are  best  ensuring  our  own  security  and 
best  furthering,  in  an  unselfish  way,  our  own 
interests.  Thus,  again  and  again,  Paul  de- 
livers, as  from  a  Christian  Sinai,  Christian 
dogmas  and  commandments.  "Let  him  that 
stole  steal  no  more:  but  rather  let  him 
labour,  working  with  his  hands  the  thing 
which  is  good,  that  he  may  have  to  give  to 
him  that  needeth"  (Eph.  iv.  28).  Thus  not 
only  did  good  working  mean  increase  of  pro- 
perty, but  it  meant  the  distribution  of  that 
property  in  generous  and  thoughtful  benefi- 
cence. The  apostles  themselves  did  exactly 
what  they  commanded  others  to  attempt. 
"I  have  shewed  you  all  things,  how  that  so 


186  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

labouring  ye  ought  to  support  the  weak,  and 
to  remember  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
how  He  said,  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than 
to  receive"  (Acts  xx.  35).  Notwithstanding 
the  mental  independence  and  social  dignity 
of  the  Apostle  Paul  and  his  fellow-apostles, 
they  were  always  anxious  that  no  just  cause 
should  be  given  for  heathen  criticism  and 
accusation.  "Walk  in  wisdom  toward  them 
that  are  without"  (Col.  iv.  5).  " Providing 
for  honest  things,  not  only  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord,  but  also  in  the  sight  of  men" 
(2  Cor.  viii.  21).  "  Having  your  conversation 
honest  among  the  Gentiles:  that,  whereas 
they  speak  against  you  as  evildoers,  they 
may  by  your  good  works,  which  they  shall 
behold,  glorify  God  in  the  day  of  visitation" 
(1  Peter  ii.  12). 

Verses  13-18:  "But  I  would  not  have  you  to  be 
ignorant,  brethren,  concerning  them  that  are  asleep, 
that  ye  sorrow  not,  even  as  others  which  have  no  hope. 
For  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again, 
even  so  them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring 
with  Him.  For  this  we  say  unto  you  by  the  word 
of  the  Lord,  that  we  which  are  alive  and  remain  unto 
the  coming  of  the  Lord  shall  not  prevent  them  which 
are  asleep.  For  the  Lord  Himself  shall  descend  from 
heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  archangel, 
and  with  the  trump  of  God:  and  the  dead  in  Christ 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        187 

shall  rise  first:  then  we  which  are  alive  and  remain 
shall  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in  the  clouds, 
to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air:  and  so  shall  we  ever  be 
with  the  Lord.  Wherefore  comfort  one  another  with 
these  words." 

Thus  suddenly  does  Paul  change  his  point 
of  view.  It  is  an  almost  violent  leap  from 
the  command  quietly  to  do  their  own  business 
to  the  grand  declaration  of  the  resurrection 
of  believers  in  the  name  and  power  of  Jesus 
Christ.  The  destiny  of  the  Christian  dead 
must  always  be  a  subject  of  enthralling 
interest  to  souls  that  have  been  bereaved. 
A  beautiful  image  to  represent  death  by  sleep ! 
In  this  instance,  as  in  all  other  instances, 
the  Apostle  falls  back  upon  a  grand  funda- 
mental revelation,  in  this  case  the  revelation 
being  nothing  less  than  the  death  and 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself.  If  we 
would  know  the  destiny  of  Christian  sleepers, 
we  have  only  to  consider  the  course  through 
which  the  Lord  Jesus  passed.  He  died  and 
rose  again.  If  Jesus  Christ  "died  and  rose 
again,  even  so  them  also  wThich  sleep  in  Jesus 
will  God  bring  with  Him."  We  stand  or  fall 
in  Jesus:  "Now  is  Christ  risen  from  the 
dead,  and  become  the  firstfruits  of  them  that 


188  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

slept"  (1  Cor.  xv.  20);  "Knowing  that  He 
which  raised  up  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  raise  up 
us  also  by  Jesus,  and  shall  present  us  with 
you"  (2  Cor.  iv.  14). 

The  coming  of  the  Lord  from  heaven  with 
all  this  demonstration  described  in  verse  16 
is  no  novel  thought  either  with  Christ  of 
with  the  apostles.  Jesus  Christ  Himself 
spoke  definitely  upon  this  very  point:  "They 
shall  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds 
of  heaven  with  power  and  great  glory.  And 
He  shall  send  His  angels  with  a  great  sound 
of  a  trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather  together 
His  elect  from  the  four  winds,  from  one  end 
of  heaven  to  the  other"  (Matt.  xxiv.  30,  31); 
"In  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye, 
at  the  last  trump:  for  the  trumpet  shall 
sound,  and  the  dead  shall  be  raised  incorrup- 
tible, and  we  shall  be  changed"  (1  Cor.  xv. 
52).  Thus  a  grand  common  doctrine  of  the 
coming  of  Christ  was  proclaimed  by  Christ 
and  His  apostles.  The  church  was  not  to 
perplex  itself  by  asking  curious  questions  as 
to  mere  method  and  detail.  The  church  was 
to  stand  strong  in  a  great  principle,  and  to 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        189 

leave  God  to  work  out  His  own  methods. 
The  trumpet  of  God  is  a  great  figure  in 
Biblical  history.  In  Zech.  ix.  14  we  read 
of  the  trumpet  of  God.  In  various  other 
passages  definite  reference  is  made  to  the 
same  instrument:  "The  Lord  God  shall  blow 
the  trumpet,  and  shall  go  with  whirlwinds  of 
the  south"  (Zech.  ix.  14);  "The  great  day  of 
the  Lord  is  near.  ...  A  day  of  the  trumpet 
and  alarm"  (Zeph.  i.  14,  16);  "Thou  hast 
heard,  O  my  soul,  the  sound  of  the  trumpet, 
the  alarm  of  war"  (Jer.  iv.  19).  As  far  back 
as  the  delivery  of  the  law  on  Sinai  we  hear 
of  a  trumpet:  "There  were  thunders  and 
lightnings,  and  a  thick  cloud  upon  the  mount, 
and  the  voice  of  the  trumpet  exceeding  loud" 
(Exod.  xix.  16).  And,  coming  to  the  Book  of 
Revelation,  chaps,  viii.  to  xi.,  we  are  made 
familiar  with  the  vision  of  the  seven 
trumpets.  We  must  be  careful  lest  we  too 
severely  literalise  the  symbolism  and  imagery 
of  the  Bible.  As  we  cannot  do  without  the 
human  personality  in  figuring  to  the  imagina- 
tion the  personality  of  God,  so  we  cannot  do 
without  crowns,  and  harps,  and  thrones,  and 
crystal  rivers,  and  waving  palms,  in  picturing 


190     FIRST  EPISTLE  THESSALONIANS 

the  heavenly  city.  We  must  not  drive  the 
imagery  too  far;  it  has  served  its  purpose 
when  it  has  indicated  to  us  the  idea  of 
rapture  and  triumph,  security  and  blessed- 
ness. Wherefore,  on  the  strength  of  these 
revelations  of  the  coming  Lord  and  the 
resurrection  of  Christian  sleepers,  be  of  good 
cheer  and  face  the  enemy  with  a  front  that 
cannot  be  abashed. 


CHAPTER  V 

Verses  1-3:  "But  of  the  times  and  the  seasons, 
brethren,  ye  have  no  need  that  I  write  unto  you. 
For  yourselves  know  perfectly  that  the  day  of  the 
Lord  so  cometh  as  a  thief  in  the  night.  For  when 
they  shall  say,  Peace  and  safety;  then  sudden 
destruction  cometh  upon  them,  as  travail  upon  a 
woman  with  child;  and  they  shall  not  escape." 

THE  meaning  is  not  that  the  Apostle  could 
have  given  precise  dates  and  hours  if 
he  had  wished  to  do  so.  As  to  the  details 
of  the  Lord's  coming,  Paul  knew  no  more 
than  others.  What  he  did  know  was  that 
a  day  of  the  Lord  was  coming,  and  coming 
as  a  thief  in  the  night,  and  coming  all  the 
more  surely  and  nearly  as  men  deceived 
themselves  by  the  assurance  that  it  would 
not  come.  The  Thessalonian  Christians  knew 
accurately  that  the  day  of  the  Lord  was 
coming.  So  we  know  that  the  day  of  death 
is  coming,  so  we  know  that  the  harvest  is 
coming.     The  broad   general  fact  is  undis- 

191 


192  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

puted,  but  all  the  detail  is  concealed.  To 
know  perfectly  is  to  know  both  exactly  and 
certainly.  The  same  word  is  translated 
" diligently"  (Matt.  ii.  8).  It  is  also  used 
in  Luke  i.  3,  wherein  Luke  claims  to  having 
accurately  traced  all  the  things  which  he  is 
about  to  narrate.  The  perfectness  of  the 
knowledge  relates  to  the  fact  that  the  Lord 
has  appointed  a  day  upon  which  He  will 
come,  not  to  any  detailed  particulars  as  to 
the  moment  when  the  trumpet  shall  announce 
His  advent.  We  are  not  to  think  of  these 
arrangements  as  something  out  of  the  general 
course  of  providence.  We  have  already 
traced  the  same  principle  in  the  coming  of 
harvest  and  death.  What  does  the  coming 
of  the  day  of  the  Lord  mean?  The  first 
thought  that  occurs  is  the  most  narrow  and 
literal — namely,  that  there  will  be  a  visible 
manifestation  of  our  Lord's  personality.  This 
conception  is  almost  painfully  elementary ;  the 
conception  is  bare  and  common  and  utterly 
prosaic.  We  have  to  outlive  that  conception 
before  we  can  come  into  the  inmost  sanctuary 
of  the  divine  epiphany.  We  no  longer  look 
for  an  incarnation.     When  our  Lord  came 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        193 

back  from  the  tomb  He  did  not  come  with 
the  flesh  in  which  he  tabernacled  before  the 
crucifixion.  The  resurrection  was  of  a  kind  of 
second  advent.  His  own  disciples  did  not 
know  Christ  when  He  returned  and  com- 
muned with  them;  Mary  did  not  know  the 
Lord  when  she  saw  Him  in  the  garden.  Yet 
surely  the  Lord  had  come,  and  Mary  knew 
it  when  He  recalled  the  familiar  tone.  So 
the  Lord  may  be  coming  day  by  day,  in 
deeper  conviction,  in  tenderer  sympathy,  in 
richer  solace,  and  in  broader  visions  of  the 
sky  of  spiritual  truth.  We  must  not  suppose 
that  the  Lord  has  not  come  simply  because 
we  have  not  seen  Him.  The  sun  does  not 
bring  the  landscape;  the  sun  reveals  it.  So 
the  Lord  is  revealed  to  the  spirit  of  man, 
and  the  spirit  of  man  has  no  doubt  of  the 
reality  of  the  revelation;  no  more  doubt 
than  the  spirit  has  of  its  own  existence. 
This  is  the  only  coming  of  the  Lord  which 
the  whole  scope  of  Scripture  would  seem 
to  reveal.  The  Lord  comes  in  judgment. 
The  Lord  comes  in  the  whole  action  of 
daily  providence.  Day  by  day  the  righteous 
go   into   life   eternal,   and   day  by  day   the 

13 


194  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

wicked  are  driven  off  into  everlasting  punish- 
ment— into  shame  and  contempt  and  forget- 
fulness.  There  is  a  tendency  to  consider 
that  monotony  is  an  aspect  of  permanence. 
Hence  unwise  or  wicked  men  constantly 
ask,  "  Where  is  the  promise  of  His  coming, 
for  since  the  fathers  fell  asleep  all  things 
continue  as  they  were?"  To  the  mind  of 
man  a  century  is  a  long  time — a  thousand 
years  is  an  eternity!  To  the  mind  of  God 
there  are  no  such  figures,  relations,  or  pro- 
portions. God  does  not  count  by  our  unit, 
large  or  small,  but  by  His  own  purpose, 
which  stretches  from  everlasting  to  ever- 
lasting. Expect  Christ  with  every  sunrise; 
see  Him  in  every  evening  star. 


Verses  4,  5:  "But  ye,  brethren,  are  not  in  dark- 
ness, that  that  day  should  overtake  you  as  a  thief. 
Ye  are  all  the  children  of  light,  and  the  children  of 
the  day:  we  are  not  of  the  night,  nor  of  darkness." 


Christians  are  children  of  light,  which  is 
more  than  a  figure  of  speech.  Christians 
have  a  wide  and  clear  outlook  upon  divine 
purposes.  They  are  so  full  of  light  that  it 
is  difficult  for  error  to  make  any  impression 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        195 

upon  them.  If  we  Christians  will  only  be 
faithful  to  whatever  light  they  have,  their 
faithfulness  is  a  guarantee  that  their  light 
shall  increase  more  and  more  unto  perfect 
day.  There  are  men  who  love  darkness 
rather  than  light.  They  are  not  in  a  con- 
dition to  receive  a  divine  revelation.  They 
are  not  in  darkness  as  a  mere  fact;  they 
are  in  darkness  by  their  own  special  election 
and  determination.  They  love  darkness. 
When  a  man  loves  a  prejudice  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  liberate  him  from  its  bondage. 
He  has  not  an  open  mind.  His  heart 
lives  within  impenetrable  barriers.  It  is 
not  so  with  the  children  of  the  day.  They 
have  the  open  mind,  the  sensitive  apprecia- 
tion, the  truth-loving  soul.  Light  gives 
courage;  night  fills  the  soul  with  fear.  The 
Apostle  says  that  Christians  are  not  the  pro- 
perty of  Night.  He  speaks  figuratively;  he 
represents  Night  as  a  proprietor  or  gaoler, 
and  he  boldly  says  that  we  are  not  in  the 
custody  of  Night,  but  are  the  freemen  of 
the  broad  daylight.  Darkness  has  its  wicked 
charms,  but  they  are  dispelled  and  destroyed 
by  the  first  look  of  morning  glory. 


196  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

Verses  6-8:  "Therefore  let  us  not  sleep,  as  do 
others;  but  let  us  watch  and  be  sober.  For  they 
that  sleep  sleep  in  the  night;  and  they  that  be 
drunken  are  drunken  in  the  night.  But  let  us,  who 
are  of  the  day,  be  sober,  putting  on  the  breastplate 
of  faith  and  love;  and  for  an  helmet,  the  hope  of 
salvation." 


Then  let  Christians  know  that  the  time 
of  sleep  should  be  limited,  and  that  slumber 
should  be  jealously  watched  lest  it  become 
the  foe  of  the  soul.  Sudden  destruction 
comes  upon  the  sleepers,  and  inevitable  ruin 
follows  indifference  to  the  culture  of  the 
soul.  It  becomes  Christians,  therefore,  to  be 
sober,  in  order  that  they  may  watch.  We 
have  to  rouse  ourselves  not  only  from  sleep, 
but  from  intoxication.  As  a  matter  of 
literal  sequence,  " sober"  should  come  before 
" watch,"  for  we  can  only  watch  in  the 
degree  in  which  we  are  sober.  "Be  thou 
sober"  is  the  literal  rendering  of  "watch 
thou"  (2  Tim.  iv.  5).  "Be  ye  therefore 
(literally)  of  sound  mind,  and  watch"  (1  Peter 
iv.  7).  "Take  heed  to  yourselves,  lest  at 
any  time  your  hearts  be  overcharged  with 
surfeiting,  and  drunkenness,  and  cares  of 
this  life,  and  so  that  day  come  upon  you 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        197 

unawares.  .  .  .  Watch  ye  therefore,  and  pray 
always,  that  ye  may  be  accounted  worthy  to 
escape  all  these  things  that  shall  come  to 
pass,  and  to  stand  before  the  Son  of  man" 
(Luke  xxi.  34,  36).  Mark  the  sharp  dis- 
tinction which  the  Apostle  always  draws 
between  children  of  the  night  and  children 
of  the  day.  They  cannot  be  confused  one 
with  the  other.  The  Apostle  speaks  nothing 
about  twilight,  or  about  the  grading  of  one 
degree  of  light  or  darkness  into  another — he 
recognises  only  night  and  day,  and  we  must 
belong  to,  or  represent,  one  or  other  of  these 
portions  of  time.  Let  drunken  people  hide 
their  drunkenness  within  the  gloom  of  night. 
Drunkenness  is  a  process,  and  drunkenness 
is  also  a  realised  state.  The  Apostle  regards 
drunkenness  in  both  aspects.  "Become  not 
drunk  with  wine"  is  the  literal  form  of 
what  is  said  in  Eph.  v.  18.  Have  nothing 
to  do  with  the  beginning  of  drunkenness. 
The  way  down  to  the  state  of  drunkenness  is 
an  inclined  plane — the  first  step  necessitates 
the  last. 

The  Apostle  now  represents  the  Christian 
attitude  under  a  strong  figure.     Sober  men 


198  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

are  to  put  on  the  breastplate  of  faith  and 
love;  and  their  heads  are  to  be  protected 
by  the  hope  of  salvation  as  by  a  helmet. 
When  the  Apostle  says  " putting  on,"  he 
must  be  understood  as  having  said  "having 
put  on" — the  act  is  represented  as  complete 
and  final,  an  act  of  which  there  is  to  be  no 
undoing.  We  are  to  put  on  Jesus.  This 
corruptible  is  to  put  on  incorruption.  We 
have  to  put  on  Christ.  We  have  to  put  on 
the  new  man.  We  have  to  "Put  on  .  .  . 
bowels  of  mercies,  kindness,  humbleness  of 
mind,  meekness,  longsuff ering "  (Col.  hi.  12). 
The  figure  of  military  investiture  is  very 
striking:  "Let  us  put  on  the  armour  of 
light"  (Rom.  xiii.  12);  "Put  on  the  whole 
armour  of  God,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  stand 
against  the  wiles  of  the  devil.  .  .  .  Wherefore 
take  unto  you  the  whole  armour  of  God, 
that  ye  may  be  able  to  withstand  in  the 
evil  day,  and  having  done  all,  to  stand. 
Stand  therefore,  having  your  loins  girt 
about  with  truth,  and  having  on  the  breast- 
plate of  righteousness"  (Eph.  vi.  11,  13,  14). 
A  still  more  wonderful  figure  is  given  in 
Isa.   lix.    17,   where   God   Himself   is   repre- 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        199 

sented  as  having  put  on  righteousness  as  a 
breastplate,  and  salvation  as  a  helmet  upon 
His  head.  However  various  the  uses  which 
Paul  makes  of  the  same  figure,  he  makes  no 
change  in  the  great  instruction  that  we  are 
to  be  protected  by  a  panoply  of  God's  own 
making.  Whether  faith  and  hope  be  the 
breastplate,  or  whether  righteousness  is  to  be 
the  chain-mail  protecting  the  chest  and  back, 
the  grand  spiritual  meaning  is  the  same. 
To  raise  a  controversy  as  to  the  literal 
application  of  these  figures  is  to  be  frivolous 
and  to  lose  the  intended  instruction. 

Verses  9-11:  "For  God  hath  not  appointed  us  to 
wrath,  but  to  obtain  salvation  by  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  died  for  us,  that,  whether  we  wake  or 
sleep,  we  should  live  together  with  Him.  Wherefore 
comfort  yourselves  together,  and  edify  one  another, 
even  as  also  ye  do." 

"The  Son  of  man  is  not  come  to  destroy 
men's  lives,  but  to  save  them."  Even  so 
God  has  not  appointed  men  to  destruction 
nor  to  wrath.  The  wrath  of  God  has  never 
been  concealed — from  the  very  beginning  it 
has  been  declared  as  one  of  the  great  min- 
isters of  providence.     "In  the  day  that  thou 


200  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die."  We 
are  familiar  with  the  word  " wrath"  in  the 
New  Testament:  "Who  hath  warned  you 
to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come?"  "The 
wrath  of  God  is  revealed  from  heaven  against 
all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of  men" 
(Rom.  i.  18).  "Because  of  these  things 
cometh  the  wrath  of  God  upon  the  children 
of  disobedience"  (Eph.  v.  6).  "Hide  us 
from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb:  for  the  great 
day  of  His  wrath  is  come;  and  who  shall 
be  able  to  stand?"  (Rev.  vi.  16,  17.)  From 
such  passages  it  will  be  clearly  seen  that 
the  "wrath  of  God"  has  never  been  kept 
in  the  background,  or  reserved  as  a  painful 
surprise. 

The  Apostle  is  not  content  by  declaring 
that  Christians  are  not  appointed  to  wrath — 
he  proceeds  to  represent  a  positive  aspect  of 
the  case,  namely,  that  Christians  are  appointed 
to  obtain  salvation — that  is,  to  acquire  it  and 
possess  it,  as  a  right  conferred  by  grace. 
"Salvation"  is  one  of  the  largest  words  in  all 
Christian  experience.  It  is  not  only  salvation 
from  sin,  but  salvation  from  ignorance,  error, 
intellectual  and  spiritual  bondage,  and  all  the 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       201 

narrowness  which  would  limit  and  misrepre- 
sent the  grace  of  God.  Jesus  Christ  purchased 
or  acquired  the  Church  of  God  with  His  own 
blood.  The  servants  of  the  Lord  are  to  pur- 
chase or  acquire  to  themselves  a  good  degree. 
The  negative  aspect  of  the  experience  is 
graphically  put  in  2  Chron.  xiii.  14.  The 
Ethiopians  were  overthrown,  so  that  they 
could  not  recover  themselves,  because  there 
was  in  them  no  saving,  or  preservation. 
The  people  of  God  are  "a  peculiar  people" — 
that  is  to  say,  they  are  an  acquired  people, 
a  possession  established  and  secured  by  the 
power  of  grace.  That  the  Lord  meant  salva- 
tion in  the  fullest  and  grandest  sense  of  the 
term  is  made  clear  by  the  fact  that  it  was 
acquired  and  made  possible  "by  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  died  for  us."  Those  who 
are  saved  by  the  death  of  Christ  will  be 
glorified  by  the  life  of  Christ.  Our  vital 
union  with  Christ  is  not  affected  either  by 
life  or  by  death.  Being  in  Christ,  our  life 
is  immortality,  and  our  so-called  death  is 
but  a  step  through  the  darkness  into  the 
light.  Beautiful  beyond  all  conception  is  the 
simple  phrase,  "We  should  live  together  with 


202  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

Him."  " Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also" 
(John  xiv.  19).  "Your  life  is  hid  with  Christ 
in  God.  When  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall 
appear,  then  shall  ye  also  appear  with  Him 
in  glory"  (Col.  iii.  3,  4).  What  is  the  natural 
application  of  these  grand  assurances?  The 
great  practical  issue  is  that  those  who  accept 
the  assurances  as  valid  are  to  comfort  them- 
selves together,  and  to  build  one  another  up 
in  their  most  holy  faith.  The  literal  meaning 
of  edification  is  to  build  up  little  by  little, 
stone  by  stone,  but  to  have  from  the  very 
beginning  an  idea  of  the  plan  of  the  temple 
life.  "Know  ye  not  that  ye  are  the  temple 
of  God?"  (1  Cor.  iii.  16.)  "Know  ye  not 
that  your  body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy 
Ghost?"  (1  Cor.  vi.  19.)  The  word  "edify" 
is  used  graphically  in  Acts  ix.  31.  Then 
had  the  churches  rest,  or  peace,  and  were 
edified,  or  gradually  built  up  stone  by  stone. 
In  1  Peter  ii.  4,  5  the  metaphor  is  most  viv- 
idly carried  out — "To  whom  coming,  as  unto 
a  living  stone,  ...  ye  also,  as  lively  stones, 
are  built  up  a  spiritual  house."  The  meta- 
phor is  common  in  the  apostolic  writings ;  thus 
Eph.  ii.  20-22 — "Built  upon  the  foundation 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       203 

of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ 
Himself  being  the  chief  corner  stone;  in 
whom  all  the  building  fitly  framed  together 
groweth  unto  an  holy  temple  in  the  Lord: 
in  whom  ye  also  are  builded  together  for 
an  habitation  of  God  through  the  Spirit." 
The  Apostle  as  a  tactful  minister  of  Christ 
fully  recognised  that  the  Thessalonian  Christ- 
ians had  already  begun  this  practical  and 
holy  work  of  edification — "even  as  also 
ye  do."  Men  who  are  struggling  with  any 
great  effort  should  have  all  their  service 
gratefully  and  strongly  recognised. 

Verses  12,  13:  "And  we  beseech  you,  brethren, 
to  know  them  which  labour  among  you,  and  are  over 
you  in  the  Lord,  and  admonish  you;  and  to  esteem 
them  very  highly  in  love  for  their  work's  sake.  And 
be  at  peace  among  yourselves." 

The  Apostle  was  the  friend  of  Christian 
ministers.  He  never  sought  any  special 
glory  for  himself;  he  always  sought  a 
common  appreciation  for  the  whole  ministry. 
He  would  have  hearers  clearly  understand 
that  they  were  debtors  to  those  who  lavish 
spiritual  benefactions  amongst  them.  "There- 
fore acknowledge  ye  them  that  are  such" 


204  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

(1  Cor.  xvi.  18).  "As  also  ye  have  ac- 
knowledged us  in  part,  that  we  are  your 
rejoicing"  (2  Cor.  i.  14).  " Receive  him 
therefore  in  the  Lord  with  all  gladness; 
and  hold  such  in  reputation"  (Phil.  ii.  29). 
Appreciation  is  not  flattery.  Appreciation 
on  the  part  of  the  hearer  is  turned  into 
inspiration  on  the  part  of  the  teacher. 
The  husbandman  would  be  severely  dis- 
couraged if  he  did  not  see  first  the  blade, 
then  the  ear,  then  the  full  corn  in  the  ear. 
In  Phil.  ii.  16  the  Apostle  desires  to  have 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  "that  I  have  not 
run  in  vain,  neither  laboured  in  vain."  The 
Apostle  describes  ministers  as  "over  you  in 
the  Lord."  This  does  not  mean  arbitrary 
rulership,  or  merely  official  superiority;  it 
suggests  a  pastoral  but  deeply  responsible 
relation.  Pastors  are  not  to  lord  it  over  God's 
heritage,  but  are  to  run  in  a  common  race, 
to  fight  in  a  common  battle,  and  to  create 
a  spirit  of  family  unity  and  household  inter- 
dependence. Ministers  are  recognised  by  the 
Apostle  as  admonishing  the  Church — that  is, 
warning,  reminding,  and  advising  the  Church. 
The  ministry  is  to  work  for  our  admonition 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       205 

(1  Cor.  x.  11,  Eph.  vi.  4).  That  ministers 
have  to  do  their  work  tenderly  and  sym- 
pathetically, rather  than  mechanically  and 
officially,  is  made  clear  by  the  exhortation, 
"  Esteem  them  very  highly  in  love  for  their 
work's  sake."  Admonition  is  not  mere 
censure ;  it  may  be  entreaty,  and  may  express 
the  solicitude  of  an  anxious  heart.  Ministers 
are  to  be  esteemed  "very  highly" — that  is 
to  say,  beyond,  or  more  than  is  usual.  The 
love  is  to  be  an  exceeding  love.  The  par- 
ticular word  which  the  Apostle  uses  occurs 
only  in  this  place.  An  adverbial  use  of  the 
word  is,  however,  found  in  such  verses  as, 
"Night  and  day  praying  exceedingly"  (1  Thess. 
iii.  10);  and  again,  "Exceeding  abundantly 
above  all  that  we  ask  or  think"  (Eph.  iii.  20). 
Note  that  ministers  are  to  be  loved  very 
highly,  not  on  their  own  personal  account, 
but  "for  their  work's  sake."  Happily,  it  is 
possible  for  the  man  to  be  so  filled  with  the 
spirit  of  his  work  that  on  his  own  account 
he  may  acquire  the  truest  love  of  his  people. 
Every  man  is  to  prove  his  election  of  God 
by  his  work.  Happy  is  the  man  who  can 
illustrate  his  doctrine  by  his  service.     "Let 


206  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that  they 
may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your 
Father  which  is  in  heaven."  Every  man 
is  to  prove  his  own  work  (Gal.  vi.  4).  A 
woful  day  will  it  be  for  the  Church  when 
ministers  are  esteemed  only  on  account  of 
their  official  position  and  robes.  A  curious 
exhortation  occurs  in  this  connection — "Be 
at  peace  among  yourselves."  "Be  at  peace" 
is  one  word  in  the  original.  The  term  is  of 
frequent  occurrence  in  both  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  the  New:  "The  land  had  rest"; 
"The  realm  of  Jehoshaphat  was  quiet:  for 
his  God  gave  him  rest  round  about"  (2  Chron. 
xx.  30);  "The  beasts  of  the  field  shall  be 
at  peace  with  thee.  And  thou  shalt  know 
that  thy  tabernacle  shall  be  in  peace" 
(Job  v.  23,  24);  "Have  peace  one  with 
another"  (Mark  ix.  50);  "Live  peaceably 
with  all  men"  (Rom.  xii.  18).  The  Thessa- 
lonian  Christians  were  not  to  set  ministers 
in  rivalry  one  against  another;  all  the 
ministers  were  to  be  esteemed  very  highly 
in  love  for  their  work's  sake,  and  the  spirit 
of  sectarianism  or  partiality  was  to  be 
shunned  as  a  spiritual  evil.     Men  who  have 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       207 

learned  the  secret  of  obedience  have  already 
entered  into  the  reward  of  peace. 

Verses  14-16:  "Now  we  exhort  you,  brethren, 
warn  them  that  are  unruly,  comfort  the  feeble- 
minded, support  the  weak,  be  patient  toward  all  men. 
See  that  none  render  evil  for  evil  unto  any  man;  but 
ever  follow  that  which  is  good,  both  among  your- 
selves, and  to  all  men.     Rejoice  evermore." 

The  Apostle  seems  to  leave  the  whole 
congregation  for  a  moment,  and  to  address 
himself  specially  to  those  who  exercise  the 
office  of  the  ministry.  There  is  nothing 
here  to  exclude  the  idea  of  mutual  exhorta- 
tion and  warning,  but  the  probability  is 
that  the  injunction  was  addressed  specifically 
to  the  elders,  ministerial  or  otherwise,  of  the 
Thessalonian  church.  A  wonderful  variety 
of  method  is  represented  in  the  whole  idea 
of  the  Christian  ministry — exhort,  warn, 
comfort,  support,  be  patient.  So,  then,  a 
call  to  the  ministry  is  a  call  to  watchfulness, 
to  discernment,  to  the  fair  and  honest  treat- 
ment of  case  after  case  as  it  may  arise.  It 
is  recognised  that  even  members  of  the  church 
may  be  unruly  or  disorderly.  "That  walketh 
disorderly"  (2  Thess.  hi.  6).     "We  behaved 


208  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

not  ourselves  disorderly  among  you"  (2  Thess. 
iii.  7).  To  comfort  is  to  encourage,  to  rouse, 
to  animate,  to  call  up  the  whole  man  to 
his  fullest  strength.  Many  in  the  church 
may  be  feebleminded.  Curiously,  this  word 
is  not  used  elsewhere  in  the  New  Testament, 
but  it  is  of  repeated  occurrence  in  the 
Septuagint  version  of  the  Old  Testament. 
"Say  to  them  that  are  of  a  fearful  heart, 
Be  strong,  fear  not"  (Isa.  xxxv.  4).  To 
revive  the  spirit  of  the  humble,  giving 
patience  to  the  feebleminded.  To  support  a 
soul  is  to  make  it  strong  where  it  is  weak, 
or  to  protect  it  where  it  is  threatened.  "Will 
hold  to  the  one"  (Luke  xvi.  13).  "Holding 
fast  the  faithful  word"  (Titus  i.  9).  "For- 
sake not  wisdom,  and  she  shall  preserve 
thee" — or  hold  to  thee,  or  give  thee  strength 
as  a  buttress  (Prov.  iv.  6).  "  He  that  putteth 
his  trust  in  Me  shall  possess  the  land"  (Isa. 
lvii.  13).  The  weak  are  to  be  supported. 
The  weak  must  be  made  to  realise  their 
own  weakness.  Weakness  is  intolerable  when 
it  supposes  itself  to  be  strength.  "His 
bodily  presence  is  weak"  (2  Cor.  x.  10). 
"How  that  so  labouring  ye  ought  to  support 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       209 

the  weak"  (Acts  xx.  35).  Sometimes  a  man 
is  weak  in  faith,  almost  diseased  in  soul. 
He  that  is  weak  in  faith  is  to  be  received 
(Rom.  xiv.  1).  Do  not  depress  the  weak  by 
an  unnecessary  display  of  rude  power,  but 
rather  accommodate  yourself  to  those  who 
are  infirm,  and  to  those  who  are  in  bondage. 
"To  the  weak  became  I  as  weak,  that  I 
might  gain  the  weak"  (1  Cor.  ix.  22). 
"Who  is  weak,  and  I  am  not  weak?" 
(2  Cor.  xi.  29.)  Patience  means  longsufTer- 
ing,  long  forbearance,  hopeful  waiting.  The 
Lord  Himself  is  represented  as  "merciful 
and  gracious,  longsuffering,  and  abundant 
in  goodness  and  truth"  (Exod.  xxxiv.  6). 
"Charity  suffereth  long"  (1  Cor.  xiii.  4). 
"With  longsuffering,  forbearing  one  another 
in  love"  (Eph.  iv.  2).  Be  very  careful  not 
to  retaliate  or  to  render  evil  for  evil  unto 
any  man.  Watch  human  nature  at  every 
point.  We  are  all  called  to  watchfulness. 
The  favourite  word  is  "Take  heed"  (Mark 
viii.  15,  Luke  xii.  15).  Do  not  throw  back 
insults.  Remember  your  Master,  and  recom- 
pense to  no  man  evil  for  evil  (Rom.  xii.  17). 
We  are  not  under  the  dominion  of  an  evil 

14 


210  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

spirit;  we  are  guided  and  sustained  by  the 
spirit  of  forbearance,  and  love,  and  patience. 
We  are  to  pursue  that  which  is  good.  The 
idea  is  that  a  figure  or  personality  is  running 
away  from  us,  and  we  are  called  upon  to 
endeavour  by  swiftness  of  speed  to  overtake 
that  which  is  escaping,  and  having  overtaken 
it,  we  are  to  hold  it  in  loving  custody. 
"Let  us  therefore  follow  after  the  things 
which  make  for  peace"  (Rom.  xiv.  19). 
"Follow  after  charity"  (1  Cor.  xiv.  1) — that 
is,  pursue  it,  run  after  it,  whether  it  is  going 
up  hill  or  down  dale;  never  give  up  the 
sacred  chase.  "Follow  after  righteousness, 
godliness,  faith,  love,  patience,  meekness" 
(1  Tim.  vi.  11). 

Verse  17:  "Pray  without  ceasing." 

This  doctrine  is  laid  down  in  the  Gospel 
of  Luke  (xviii.  1),  "Men  ought  always  to 
pray,  and  not  to  faint."  This  is  not  the 
only  instance  in  which  Paul  inculcates  the 
same  doctrine.  "Praying  always  with  all 
prayer  and  supplication  in  the  Spirit,  and 
watching  thereunto  with  all  perseverance  and 
supplication  for  all  saints"    (Eph.   vi.    18). 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       211 

We  are  not  to  look  upon  the  words  "without 
ceasing"  as  indicating  a  formal  attitude,  or 
a  merely  literal  habit.  We  are  to  encourage 
the  spirit  of  prayer.  It  should  never  be 
difficult  for  us  to  come  boldly  to  the  throne 
of  grace.  The  act  of  prayer  is  one  thing; 
the  disposition  or  desire  to  pray  is  another. 
We  are  not  every  moment,  literally  without 
intermission,  thinking  of  the  friend  who  is 
dearest  to  our  soul,  yet  in  less  than  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  we  can  realise  the 
presence  of  that  soul,  and  cover  it  with 
every  token  of  reverence  and  love.  The 
Apostle  frequently  used  the  words  "without 
ceasing."  He  has  used  them  already  in  this 
Epistle  (i.  3) :  "Remembering  without  ceasing 
your  work  of  faith,  and  labour  of  love,  and 
patience  of  hope  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
in  the  sight  of  God  and  our  Father."  "For 
this  cause  also  thank  we  God  without  ceasing" 
(ii.  13).  The  same  word  is  used  by  the 
same  Apostle  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans 
(i.  9) :  "God  is  my  witness,  whom  I  serve  with 
my  spirit  in  the  gospel  of  His  Son,  that 
without  ceasing  I  make  mention  of  you 
always  in  my  pra}^ers."     Words  always  bring 


212  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

with  them  their  natural  limitations.  There 
are  implied  adjectives  or  terms  of  limitation 
connected  with  every  principal  word  we  use. 
All  promises  are  conditional.  All  pledges, 
vows,  and  purposes  regarding  the  future  are 
based  upon  certain  implications,  whether 
expressed  or  suppressed.  The  apostles  lived 
in  prayer.  Not  only  did  they  live  in  their 
own,  but  they  fervently  solicited  the  prayers 
of  others  that  a  kind  of  spiritual  atmosphere 
might  surround  their  whole  life  and  thought. 
The  apostolic  spirit  was  bathed  in  the  stream 
of  prayer.  Words  are  not  always  necessary 
to  prayer — prayer  may  be  breathed  in  silence, 
or  expressed  in  sighs,  or  pictured  in  upward 
or  expectant  looks.  It  is  a  spiritual  loss  to 
the  soul  always  to  be  tormenting  itself  about 
literal  obedience.  In  this  case,  as  in  all 
others,  the  letter  killeth,  the  spirit  maketh 
alive. 

Verse  18:  "In  every  thing  give  thanks:  for  this 
is  the  will  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  concerning  you." 

There  is  ample  precedent  for  the  practice 
of  thanksgiving.  "He  took  bread,  and  gave 
thanks  to  God  in  presence  of  them  all:  and 
when  he  had  broken  it,  he  began  to  eat" 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       213 

(Acts  xxvii.  35).  "Whom  when  Paul  saw, 
he  thanked  God,  and  took  courage"  (Acts 
xxviii.  15).  "That  for  the  gift  bestowed 
upon  us  by  the  means  of  many  persons 
thanks  may  be  given  by  many  on  our 
behalf"  (2  Cor.  i.  11).  "Giving  thanks 
always  for  all  things  unto  God  and  the 
Father  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ" 
(Eph.  v.  20).  The  Apostle  says  that  the 
giving  of  thanks  is  one  expression  of  the 
will  of  God — that  is  to  say,  thanksgiving  is 
one  of  the  ways  in  which  we  express  the 
will  of  God.  Sometimes  the  article  "the" 
does  not  so  clearly  explain  the  meaning  of 
the  Apostle  as  the  article  "a."  For  example, 
in  this  text  we  might  read,  "This  is  a 
will  of  God" — one  of  the  wills,  one  of  the 
methods  of  expressing  the  whole  will,  a  drop 
in  the  great  stream  of  the  divine  volition 
and  sovereign  action.  We  read  in  Col.  iv.  12, 
"That  ye  may  stand  perfect  and  complete 
in  all  the  will  of  God" — that  is  to  say,  in 
every  will  of  God,  in  each  will  of  God,  in 
every  particular  thought  of  God  concerning 
the  redemption  and  sanctification  of  the  soul. 
The  whole  of  the  divine  will  is  "in  Christ 


214  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

Jesus."  Whatever  God  does  He  does  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  or  for  the  sake  of 
Jesus  Christ,  or  that  He  may  bring  the  soul 
into  closer  relation  to  Jesus  Christ.  God 
will  not  have  what  we  are  pleased  to  call, 
in  our  learned  ignorance,  "Theism."  God 
works  mediatorially — that  is  to  say,  through 
His  Son,  who  is  our  High  Priest,  and  who 
ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us. 
"  There  is  one  God  and  one  Mediator  between 
God  and  man,  the  man  Christ  Jesus." 

Verse  19 :  "  Quench  not  the  Spirit." 

The  Spirit  is  represented  as  a  burning  or 
blazing  fire,  and  Christians  are  commanded 
not  to  throw  quenching  water  upon  the  holy 
conflagration.  When  the  foolish  virgins  com- 
plained that  their  lamps  were  going  out,  the 
more  literal  reading  would  be,  "our  lamps 
are  being  quenched."  We  know  what  it  is 
to  quench  natural  enthusiasm,  to  suppress  or 
rebuke  our  most  eager  desires,  to  limit  the 
action  of  our  most  ardent  affections.  We  are 
not  to  limit  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  nor  are 
we  to  rebuke  the  expression  of  peculiar  gifts 
and  movements  in  the  soul  of  the  believer. 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        215 

We  are  not  to  throw  cold  water  upon  the 
burning  bush  simply  because  other  bushes  are 
not  burning.  God  has  always  made  special 
use  of  peculiar  individualism,  sometimes 
known  as  genius,  sometimes  known  as  eccen- 
tricity, sometimes  known  even  as  madness. 
The  Holy  Ghost  will  work  within  a  man 
according  to  a  man's  individuality  of  tempera- 
ment or  capacity.  The  Apostle  Paul  did  not 
rebuke  the  use  of  "tongues"  in  the  church 
at  Corinth.  It  is  true  that  he  used  the 
language  of  caution  in  reference  to  such 
"tongues,"  but  he  was  quite  prepared  to 
believe  that  in  this  eccentric  way  the  Holy 
Spirit  might  be  speaking  to  the  church  under 
special  conditions.  Christianity  showed  how 
open  it  was  to  the  interpretation  of  large  and 
vigorous  minds,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Apostle 
Paul.  The  Apostle  not  only  said,  "Quench 
not  the  Spirit" — in  Eph.  iv.  30  he  warns 
his  readers  not  to  grieve  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
God.  The  author  of  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews  declares  it  wilful  sin  to  offer  "despite 
unto  the  Spirit  of  grace"  (Heb.  x.  29).  The 
Apostle  does  not  confine  himself  to  negative 
instruction  on  this  matter  of  the  action  of  the 


216  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

Holy  Ghost;  he  only  uses  the  negative  in 
order  that  he  may  make  the  positive  more 
definite  and  binding.  Quench  not,  grieve  not, 
despise  not — these  are  not  enough.  In  his 
Second  Epistle  to  Timothy,  i.  6,  the  Apostle 
gives  the  positive  instruction,  "I  put  thee  in 
remembrance  that  thou  stir  up  the  gift  of 
God  which  is  in  thee."  In  1  Cor.  xii.  7  the 
Apostle  says,  "The  manifestation  of  the 
Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit 
withal."  It  is  not  enough  to  have  the  Spirit 
as  an  individual  and  secret  possession;  that 
Spirit  must  make  a  way  for  itself  out  of  the 
heart  and  the  understanding  and  the  will  into 
the  speech  and  conduct  and  whole  discipline 
of  life.  The  Apostle  Paul  never  grieved  or 
quenched  the  Spirit.  He  felt  that  the  Spirit 
was  essential  to  the  authority  and  efficiency 
of  his  apostleship.  "My  speech  and  my 
preaching  was  not  with  enticing  words  of 
man's  wisdom,  but  in  demonstration  of  the 
Spirit  and  of  power:  that  your  faith  should 
not  stand  in  the  wisdom  of  men,  but  in  the 
power  of  God"  (1  Cor.  ii.  4,  5).  Believers 
themselves  were  to  be  expressions  of  a  grand 
spiritual   ministry:  "Ye   are   manifestly  de- 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       217 

clared  to  be  the  epistle  of  Christ  ministered 
by  us,  written  not  with  ink,  but  with  the 
Spirit  of  the  living  God"  (2  Cor.  hi.  3). 

Verse  20:  "Despise  not  prophesyings." 

If  we  cultivate  the  ministry  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  in  our  own  souls,  we  shall  be  prepared 
to  recognise  that  ministry  in  the  souls  of 
others.  There  is  a  divine  distribution  of 
gifts  which  all  who  believe  in  Jesus  Christ 
must  gratefully  recognise:  "For  to  one  is 
given  by  the  Spirit  the  word  of  wisdom; 
to  another  the  word  of  knowledge  by  the 
same  Spirit;  to  another  faith  by  the  same 
Spirit;  to  another  the  gifts  of  healing  by 
the  same  Spirit;  to  another  the  working  of 
miracles;  to  another  prophecy;  to  another 
discerning  of  spirits;  to  another  divers  kinds 
of  tongues;  to  another  the  interpretation  of 
tongues:  but  all  these  worketh  that  one  and 
the  selfsame  Spirit,  dividing  to  every  man 
severally  as  He  will"  (1  Cor.  xii.  8-11).  The 
Apostle  Paul  declares  that  in  " other  ages" 
the  mystery  of  the  Gospel,  or  the  mystery 
of  Christ,  was  not  made  known  unto  the 
sons  of  men  as  it  is  now  revealed  unto  the 


218  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

holy  prophets  and  apostles  by  the  Spirit. 
Christians  live  under  the  dispensation  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  should  make  themselves 
known  by  the  light  and  warmth  of  pentecostal 
fire.  We  do  not  worship  a  visible  Saviour; 
we  worship  a  Saviour  made  visible  to  the  soul 
by  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Holy  Spirit  unites 
and  consolidates  the  Church — "For  by  one 
Spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into  one  body, 
whether  we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles,  whether 
we  be  bond  or  free ;  and  have  been  all  made  to 
drink  into  one  Spirit"  (1  Cor.  xii.  13).  Under 
the  reign  of  the  Holy  Ghost  "the  flesh 
profiteth  nothing"  (John  vi.  63).  We  have 
passed  the  school  of  the  flesh  and  are  now 
under  the  tuition,  enlightenment,  and  sove- 
reignty of  the  Spirit.  Nothing  is  so  easy  as 
to  despise  other  men — hence  the  point  of 
the  apostolic  exhortation.  Never  discourage 
the  prophets  of  the  Church,  nor  undervalue 
inspired  preaching,  nor  degrade  spiritual 
enthusiasm  into  regulated  commonplace. 

Verse  21:  "Prove  all  things;  hold  fast  that  which 
is  good." 

Test    all    things;  never    receive    anything 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       219 

on  mere  credit.  Always  remember  that  many 
false  Christs  have  gone  out  into  the  world. 
"Believe  not  every  spirit,  but  try  the  spirits 
whether  they  are  of  God."  Having  proved 
your  conclusions,  hold  them,  and  hold  them 
fast.  You  are  not  to  believe  in  enthusiasm 
simply  because  of  its  passion,  but  you  are 
to  believe  in  its  passion  because  its  purpose 
is  beneficent,  elevating,  and  sanctifying. 
Always  distinguish  between  enthusiasm  and 
mere  emotion.  The  foam  upon  the  wave  is 
not  the  wave  itself.  The  figure  of  holding 
fast  is  not  unknown  in  the  apostolic  writings: 
"Having  heard  the  word,  keep  it"  (Luke  viii. 
15).  Hold  it  fast,  take  hold  of  it  with  both 
hands,  beware  of  any  loose  handling  of  divine 
things.  In  1  Cor.  xv.  2  the  Apostle  says, 
"By  which  also  ye  are  saved,  if  ye  keep  in 
memory" — literally,  if  you  cling  to,  hold 
fast,  determinately  claim  and  insist  upon — 
"what  I  preached  unto  you."  The  writer 
to  the  Hebrews  says  (hi.  14;  x.  23),  "Let 
us  hold  fast  the  profession  of  our  faith 
without  wavering."  Hold  fast  that  which  is 
good,  that  which  is  lovely,  honourable,  and  of 
good  report.     We  are  to  cling  to  that  which  is 


220  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

honest.  We  are  to  hold  fast  our  well-doing 
and  well-wishing,  and  never  be  weary  in  this 
constancy  of  attachment  to  things  divine. 

Verse  22:  "Abstain  from  all  appearance  of  evil." 

Evil  is  represented  in  some  cases  as  a 
bodily  presence,  or  fashion,  or  outline  of 
personality.  We  are  not  only  to  abstain 
from  evil  deeds,  but  from  every  deed  that  has 
the  appearance  of  evil.  This  is  a  critical 
distinction,  and  must  be  well  known  to  the 
heart  which  is  thoroughly  trained  in  Christian 
study  and  conduct.  In  this  matter  we  are 
to  consider  public  criticism,  and  even  public 
ignorance  and  prejudice.  The  Apostle  Paul 
would  not  eat  or  drink  certain  things  if  by 
doing  so  he  would  grieve  or  offend  one  of  the 
weakest  of  the  believers. 


Verses  23,  24:  "And  the  very  God  of  peace 
sanctify  you  wholly;  and  I  pray  God  your  whole 
spirit  and  soul  and  body  be  preserved  blameless 
unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Faithful 
is  He  that  calleth  you,  who  also  will  do  it." 


For  the  use  of  the  expression  the  "God  of 
peace"  see  the  following  passages:  "The  God 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       221 

of  peace  be  with  you  all"  (Rom.  xv.  33); 
"The  God  of  peace  shall  bruise  Satan  under 
your  feet  shortly"  (Rom.  xvi.  20);  "The 
God  of  love  and  peace  shall  be  with  you" 
(2  Cor.  xiii.  11);  "The  God  of  peace  shall 
be  with  you"  (Phil.  iv.  9). 

The  God  of  peace  is  to  sanctify  those  in 
whom  He  dwells,  wholly,  entirely,  carrying 
out  the  process  to  fullest  accomplishment 
and  coronation.  The  whole  man — spirit, 
soul,  body — is  to  be  penetrated  by  the  divine 
energy  and  subdued  by  the  divine  Spirit.  In 
this  passage  only  is  the  threefold  division  of 
a  Christian  man  fully  or  literally  expressed. 
But  that  threefold  division  is  implied  in  many 
passages.  When  the  Apostle  refers  to  the 
spirit  and  the  soul,  the  body  is,  of  course, 
recognised,  because  man  is  obviously  more 
than  spirit  and  soul.  "My  soul  doth  mag- 
nify the  Lord,  and  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced 
in  God  my  Saviour."  It  is  the  body  that 
speaks,  and  therefore  the  trinity  of  parts 
is  fully  recognised  and  represented.  We 
often  break  up  ourselves,  so  to  say,  into 
conscience,     reason,    imagination,    memory, 


222  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

will,  and  the  like.  We  speak  of  our  heart 
and  soul.  We  describe  ourselves  as  flesh 
and  spirit.  "That  which  is  born  of  the 
flesh  is  flesh;  and  that  which  is  born  of 
the  Spirit  is  spirit"  (John  hi.  6).  "Ye 
are  not  in  the  flesh,  but  in  the  Spirit,  if  so 
be  that  the  Spirit  of  God  dwell  in  you" 
(Rom.  viii.  9).  The  word  "spirit"  is  not 
unknown  to  the  Old  Testament.  "There 
is  a  spirit  in  man:  and  the  inspiration  of 
the  Almighty  giveth  them  understanding" 
(Job  xxxii.  8).  In  the  fifty-first  Psalm 
and  the  tenth  verse  the  Psalmist  prays, 
"Renew  a  right  spirit  within  me."  Even 
the  pessimist  worldling — often  supposed  to 
make  no  recognition  of  what  we  know  as 
the  immortal  life — declares  in  Ecclesiastes 
xii.  7,  "The  spirit  shall  return  unto  God 
who  gave  it."  In  the  New  Testament  a 
broad  distinction  is  always  drawn  between 
the  natural  man  and  the  spiritual  man.  The 
spiritual  man  is  under  the  dominion  of  the 
spirit;  he  does  not  sow  to  the  flesh;  his 
heart  is  in  continual  quest  of  God.  The 
Apostle  presents  a  most  comprehensive  prayer 
on  behalf  of  the  Thessalonians.     In  effect 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       223 

he  says,  "God  keep  you  in  every  part, 
aspect,  jot,  tittle,  of  your  compound  nature; 
may  the  full  sunshine  of  His  blessing  fall 
upon  your  total  manhood,  so  that  every 
faculty,  power,  wish,  purpose,  affection, 
may  be  completely  satisfied;  and  may  your 
very  body  be  as  highly  spiritualised  as 
possible — nay,  may  it  be  turned  into  a  very 
temple  and  instrument  of  the  Holy  Ghost!" 
The  Apostle  uses  the  word  "preserved," 
which  is  the  very  word  used  by  Jesus  Christ 
in  His  great  intercessory  prayer,  though  not 
rendered  such  in  English:  "Holy  Father, 
keep  through  Thine  own  name  those  whom 
Thou  hast  given  me"  (keep  or  preserve).  .  .  . 
"I  kept  them  in  Thy  name"  (in  Thy  name 
I  preserved  them).  ...  "I  pray  not  that  Thou 
shouldest  take  them  out  of  the  world,  but 
that  Thou  shouldest  keep  them  from  the 
evil"  (preserve  them  from  the  evil)  (John 
xvii.  11,  12,  15).  Jude  says  that  Christians 
are  "preserved  in  Jesus  Christ."  The  same 
word  is  used  in  the  letter  to  the  angel  of 
the  church  in  Philadelphia:  "Because  thou 
hast  kept  the  word  of  my  patience,  I  also 
will  keep  thee"   (preserve  thee)   "from  the 


224  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

hour  of  temptation."  Constantly  the  Apostle 
sets  before  the  Thessalonian  Christians  "the 
coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  We 
are  to  set  before  our  minds  and  our  aspira- 
tions the  same  grand  ideal  of  completion. 
The  sphere  of  human  education  and  trial 
has  to  be  rounded  off.  No  barren  spot  has 
to  be  left  in  all  the  nature.  We  must 
work  as  if  we  expected  the  Lord  daily,  and 
prepare  our  hearts  as  a  house  is  prepared 
for  the  reception  of  a  great  guest.  Under- 
neath all  this  exhortation  lies  the  comforting 
promise,  "  Faithful  is  He  that  calleth  you, 
who  also  will  do  it."  The  Christian  soul 
does  not  go  on  a  warfare  at  his  own  expense. 
If  the  believer  is  to  "work  out  his  own 
salvation  with  fear  and  trembling,"  he  is  to 
remember  for  his  encouragement  that  it  is 
God  that  "worketh  in  him."  The  divine 
promise  is  at  stake;  the  divine  oath  is  on 
its  trial.  Reverently  we  may  say  that  we 
are  called  upon  so  to  live  that  if  there  be 
any  final  failure  it  shall  not  be  on  our 
part.  We  are  summoned  to  put  the  divine 
faithfulness  to  the  test.  What  a  bouquet 
of   choice   flowers    might    be   made    of    the 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       225 

Scriptures  which  insist  upon  the  faithfulness 
of  God  in  the  keeping  of  His  promises  and 
the  preservation  of  His  people!  "God  is 
faithful,  by  whom  ye  were  called  unto  the 
fellowship  of  His  Son  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord" 
(1  Cor.  i.  9).  "God  is  faithful,  who  will 
not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above  that  ye 
are  able"  (1  Cor.  x.  13).  "The  Lord  is 
faithful,  who  shall  stablish  you,  and  keep 
you  from  evil"  (2  Thess.  iii.  3).  "She  judged 
Him  faithful  who  had  promised"  (Heb.  xi.  11). 
We  ourselves  cannot  faithlessly  live  on  the 
faithfulness  of  God.  Only  faithfulness  can 
appreciate  faithfulness.  "Be  thou  faithful 
unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown 
of  life"  (Rev.  ii.  10);  "We  are  saved  by 
faith"  (Eph.  ii.  8);  "Thou  standest  by 
faith"  (Rom.  xi.  20).  If  God  "will  do  it," 
we  also  must  "do  it."  God's  words  are  God's 
deeds.    With  God  promise  is  performance. 

Verses  25-27:  "Brethren,  pray  for  us.  Greet  all 
the  brethren  with  an  holy  kiss.  I  charge  you  by  the 
Lord  that  this  epistle  be  read  unto  all  the  holy 
brethren." 

Here  again  the  apostles  joined  the  common 
life    and    the    common    experience    of    the 

15 


226  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

church.  They  do  not  set  themselves  up  as 
above  the  necessity  of  sympathetic  prayer. 
The  apostles  would  live  in  the  prayers  of 
the  people.  "Ye  also  helping  together  by 
prayer  for  us"  (2  Cor.  i.  11).  "I  know 
that  this  shall  turn  to  my  salvation  through 
your  prayer"  (Phil.  i.  19).  "I  beseech 
you,  brethren,  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ's 
sake,  and  for  the  love  of  the  Spirit,  that  ye 
strive  together  with  me  in  your  prayers  to 
God  for  me"  (Rom.  xv.  30).  "I  trust 
that  through  your  prayers  I  shall  be  given 
unto  you"  (Philem.  22).  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  apostles  believed  not  only 
in  the  soul  praying  for  itself,  but  in  the 
soul  being  prayed  for  by  the  earnest  love 
of  other  souls.  Nor  can  there  be  any  doubt 
that  the  apostles  vitally  allied  themselves 
with  the  common  life  and  service  and  joy 
'  of  the  church.  "Now  he  which  stablisheth 
us  with  you  in  Christ,  .  .  .  who  hath  also  sealed 
us.  .  .  .  Not  for  that  we  have  dominion  over 
your  faith,  but  are  helpers  of  your  joy" 
(2  Cor.  i.  21,  22,  24). 

"Greet  all  the  brethren  with  an  holy  kiss." 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       227 

So  it  is  commanded  in  Romans  xvi.  16; 
in  1  Cor.  xvi.  20;  in  2  Cor.  xiii.  12;  in 
1  Peter  v.  14.  To  purity  the  loving  kiss 
is  a  seal.  Heart  may  kiss  heart  in  pledge 
of  brotherhood  and  spiritual  affinity  of  every 
degree. 

The  apostles  insist  upon  having  the  Epistle 
read  to  the  congregation.  "I  charge  you," 
literally,  "I  adjure  you."  The  apostles  made 
no  secret  communications  to  the  heads,  or 
representatives,  of  the  congregation.  The 
Gospel  is  for  all.  The  Scriptures  are  to  be 
read  in  the  hearing  of  all  the  people,  for 
all  the  provisions  and  promises  of  God  are 
meant  for  the  common  enjoyment  of  the 
household  of  faith. 

Then  comes  the  great  benediction:  "The 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you 
all."  Either  at  the  beginning  or  at  the  end 
of  his  letters  Paul  availed  himself  of  prac- 
tically the  same  form  of  benediction.  Some- 
times the  formula  was  contracted ;  sometimes 
it  was  expanded,  as  if  in  an  intenser  glow 
of  love,  thus:  "The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus 


228     FIRST  EPISTLE  THESSALONIANS 

Christ,  and  the  love  of  God,  and  the  com- 
munion of  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  with  you  all" 
(2  Cor.  xiii.  14).  Sometimes  it  is  simply, 
" Grace  be  with  you";  at  other  times  it  is 
the  invocation  of  the  whole  Trinity,  that 
the  church  receiving  the  Gospel  may  be 
enriched  and  blessed,  daily  comforted  and 
continually  inspired. 


THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE 
THESSALONIANS 


PRAYER  BEFORE  PERUSAL 

O  Thou,  who  hast  redeemed  Thy  Church  with  the 
precious  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  Thy  Son,  we  bless 
Thee  for  the  mighty  men  who  have  led  Thy  hosts  in 
the  day  of  battle  and  grievous  distress.  We  thank 
Thee  for  all  the  epistles  of  love  which  such  men  wrote 
to  churches  who  were  bowed  down  with  great  sorrow, 
and  whose  own  help  had  utterly  gone  out  of  their 
sinking  hearts.  We  thank  Thee  for  the  noble  apostles 
and  leaders  who  kept  the  torch  of  truth  burning  when 
the  wind  of  opposition  had  grown  into  a  furious  storm. 
Our  hearts  are  filled  with  joy  when  we  think  of  the 
men  who  endured  fiery  trials,  and  came  out  of  the 
furnace  singing  a  new  song,  and  lifting  to  the  sun 
banners  of  victory.  Thou  hast  led  Thy  Church  through 
many  a  wilderness,  and  brought  her,  according  to  Thy 
purpose  of  grace,  to  the  green  and  luxuriant  Canaan 
of  Thy  eternal  love.  Thou  hast  never  suffered  Thy 
Church  to  be  tempted  above  that  she  was  able  to  bear, 
but  with  every  temptation  Thou  hast  found  a  way  of 
escape.  We  thank  Thee  for  heroic  hearts.  We  bless 
Thee  for  lives  that  have  never  given  room  to  the 
enemy,  no,  not  for  a  single  hour.  May  we  follow 
those  who,  by  faith  and  patience,  have  followed  the 

231 


232   PRAYER  BEFORE  PERUSAL 

Lamb  through  all  the  way  of  the  wilderness,  and  up 
all  the  high  hills  of  frowning  difficulty!  We  bless 
Thee  for  the  expectations  which  have  kept  our  hope 
alive;  we  specially  thank  Thee  for  the  expectation  of 
our  Lord's  coming,  whether  personally  in  all  radiant 
visibleness,  or  whether  providentially  in  all  the 
changing  relations  and  aspects  of  life,  whether  in  the 
hidden  sanctuary  of  the  soul  or  in  the  outward  temple 
of  daily  providence.  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly!  Our 
sins  are  many,  but  Thy  grace  outweighs  them  all! 
Come  quickly,  for  our  hearts  are  aching  and  are 
yearning  to  cling  to  Thee  as  their  only  hope  and 
strength.  The  Lord  be  with  us  in  reading  this  letter 
of  love  from  the  greatest  of  the  apostles;  open  our 
eyes  that  we  may  see  wondrous  things  in  this  expres- 
sion of  the  heart,  and  may  the  benediction  which  the 
Apostle  prayed  to  rest  upon  the  Thessalonians  rest 
abundantly  upon  ourselves  in  the  valley  of  darkness 
and  in  the  furnace  of  greatest  trial!    Amen. 


INTRODUCTION 

YOUR  hearts  are  no  doubt  longing 
to  hear  from  us  and  to  receive 
some  word  of  comfort  in  the  midst 
of  all  your  terrible  sufferings.  Never 
forget  that  you  are  a  church  of  God, 
because  the  Son  of  God  dwells  in  your 
midst  and  fills  you  with  all  the  pre- 
cious tenderness  of  His  love.  Grace 
to  you,  the  whole  favour  of  God,  and 
peace,  the  infinite  tranquillity  of  your 
Father  and  your  Saviour,  be  unto  you 
day  by  day,  a  treasure  in  the  heavens 
which  can  neither  be  corrupted  nor 
stolen. 

Our  whole  heart  goes  out  in  over- 
flowing thanks  to  God  when  we  think 
of  you — and  we  think  of  you  always, 
for  if  we  ceased  to  think  of  you  we 

233 


234  INTRODUCTION 

should  lose  one  of  our  chief  joys.  We 
thank  God  for  you  as  for  a  spiritual 
miracle,  for  we  are  assured  that  your 
faith  grows  out  of  all  bounds,  like  a 
vine  rising  to  the  height  of  the  wall 
and  falling  down  in  great  wreaths  of 
beauty  and  fruitfulness.  We  can  com- 
pare you  to  nothing  else — your  faith 
groweth  like  a  luxuriant  plant,  and 
your  love  to  one  another  abounds  as 
if  well  should  be  added  to  well  until 
the  gathered  waters  flow  like  a  river 
between  banks  of  luxuriant  herbage. 
You  are  an  amazement  unto  us,  the 
continual  subject  of  our  conversation; 
we  speak  of  you  to  all  the  churches 
of  God.  Your  patience  and  your 
faith  are  great  beyond  all  expecta- 
tion, and  this  is  the  more  wonder- 
ful that  you  are  constantly  undergoing 
severe  persecutions  and  most  distress- 
ing afflictions.  You  must  wonder  at 
the  discipline  through  which  God 
brings  you;  you  magnify  the  love  of 
God  by  your  very  patience,  for  nothing 
but  the  love  of  God  could  enable  you 


INTRODUCTION  235 

to  endure  such  distresses  and  to  hold 
on  in  j^our  course  of  faith.  If  ever 
men  had  reason  to  give  up  the  Gospel, 
and  yield  themselves  to  social  seduc- 
tions in  order  to  escape  the  terrible 
persecutions  of  ungodly  men,  you 
might  fairly  give  way  before  the 
pressure,  and  take  what  you  may  be 
able  to  secure  of  worldly  ease.  It 
is  our  heart's  delight  to  think  that 
you  have  a  clear  discernment  of  the 
wonderful  purpose  of  God  in  all  the 
laceration  to  which  He  has  permitted 
you  to  be  subjected;  you  see  that  He 
is  preparing  you  to  be  counted  worthy 
of  His  own  kingdom,  and  you  wisely 
leave  the  recompense  to  your  tor- 
mentors in  His  almighty  hands.  We 
know  what  it  is  which  gives  you  com- 
fort in  the  burning  furnace.  You 
have  felt,  as  it  were,  the  whole 
agony  of  affliction.  What  comforted 
you  during  that  all  but  unbearable 
agony?  It  was  that  you  expected 
the  revelation  of  the  Lord  Jesus  from 
heaven;  your  faith  was  so  great  that 


236  INTRODUCTION 

you  almost  saw  the  outline  of  His 
figure  in  the  flaming  heaven.  The 
simple  explanation  of  all  your  heroic 
endurance  is  that  you  are  expecting 
to  see  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  be  the 
wonder  of  His  people  and  their 
almighty  and  eternal  Deliverer.  This 
expectation  sustains  the  faith  and  the 
hope  of  all  Christian  believers.  You 
are  not  arbitrarily  fixing  God  to  this 
or  that  mode  of  rendering  Himself 
visible;  you  are  simply  resting  in  full 
assurance  that  God  will  realise  His 
good-will  in  your  experience,  and  you 
are  prepared  that  the  divine  will 
should  be  realised  according  to  the 
divine  purpose.  What  you  really 
want — and  it  is  the  supreme  joy  of 
our  heart  to  say  so — is  that  the  name 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  may  be 
glorified  in  you,  your  desire  being 
also  that  you  shall  be  glorified  in 
Him  according  to  the  infinite  measure 
of  the  divine  grace.  We  congratulate 
you  on  this  spiritual  experience,  and 
we  thank  God   that  He  has  so  far 


INTRODUCTION  237 

completed  the  miracle  of  His  grace 
in  the  transformation  and  renewal  of 
your  soul's  loveliest  image. 

You  need  some  teaching  in  behalf  of 
the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ; 
that  coming  shall  be  a  presence,  a 
living  face,  a  glowing  personality. 
What  you  have  to  do  is  to  leave  the 
whole  method  in  the  divine  hands. 
Simply  say  "Thy  kingdom  come,"  and 
leave  all  the  details  of  the  process  to 
the  wisdom  of  God.  You  are  naturally 
so  sensitive  about  this  expectation  as 
to  make  it  possible  that  you  may  be 
troubled  by  an  epistle  from  ourselves 
about  the  working  out  of  this  lofty 
expectation.  Be  very  careful  lest  in 
your  spiritual  sensitiveness  you  grieve 
the  Spirit  or  even  quench  the  Spirit. 
False  teachers  are  surrounding  you, 
hoping  to  make  some  profit  out  of  the 
evolution  of  your  faith  and  experience ; 
we  beseech  you  not  to  let  any  man 
beguile  you,  but  to  retire  into  the 
inmost  sanctuary  of  the  divine  presence 


238  INTRODUCTION 

ctnd  say  to  your  Father  in  heaven, 
"Thy  will  be  done." 

As  to  the  way  in  which  the  Lord 
will  come,  we  may  remind  you  that 
the  Lord  Himself  always  treated  His 
own  coming  as  a  secret  which  He 
Himself  could  not  reveal.  That  coming 
was  known  only  to  the  Eternal  Father. 
Of  one  thing  we  are  strongly  confident, 
that  Jesus  Christ  will  not  come  in 
the  truest  or  most  obvious  sense  except 
there  come  first  a  great  falling  away 
from  the  Cross  of  Christ.  The  spirit 
of  lawlessness  will  seem  to  prevail  over 
the  spirit  of  order:  the  man  of  sin, 
the  son  of  perdition,  will  try  to  expel 
God  from  His  own  throne  and  make 
himself  the  supreme  object  of  adora- 
tion and  obedience.  There  will  be  a 
terrible  apostasy.  I  dwelt  upon  this 
subject  when  I  was  amongst  you, 
and  the  more  I  think  of  it  the  more 
important  it  seems  to  be  as  an  indi- 
cation of  time  and  circumstances. 
You  may  even  expect  the  throwing 


INTRODUCTION  239 

down  of  everything  that  is  orderly, 
and  you  may  fully  expect  also  the 
incoming  of  a  great  flood  of  lawless- 
ness. Satan  is  to  be  rampant  for  a 
time — for  a  time,  indeed,  he  will  be 
clothed  with  power  and  signs  and 
lying  wonders,  and  it  will  appear  as 
if  God  Himself  had  been  driven  out 
of  His  own  Church.  Do  not  allow 
yourselves  to  be  overwhelmed  by  such 
circumstances,  for  it  is  God  Himself 
that  is  controlling  the  whole  action 
and  making  His  purposes  of  providence 
more  and  more  manifest.  I  do  not 
hesitate  to  say  that  it  is  God  Himself 
who  is  sending  a  strong  delusion  upon 
certain  people  that  they  should  believe 
a  lie.  If  you  study  the  prophets  of 
the  Old  Testament,  you  will  find  that 
now  and  again  God  has  confused  the 
nations,  and  in  a  certain  sense  has 
permitted  them  to  accept  a  lie  as  if 
it  were  a  revelation  of  Himself.  We 
fully  admit  that  the  circumstances 
are  full  of  confusion,  and  that  they 
could  be  so  used   as  to   create   and 


240  INTRODUCTION 

deepen  the  impression  that  there  is 
nothing  either  true  or  secure  under 
heaven.  This  is  the  trial  of  faith; 
everything  depends  upon  how  faith 
deports  itself  under  such  conditions. 
Stand  fast  in  the  Lord  and  in  the 
power  of  His  might,  knowing  that 
Satan  is  chained  and  that  his  time 
is  fixed,  that  the  end  of  his  kingdom 
hastens  with  every  pulse  of  your 
heart. 

Do  not  suppose  that  we  are  over- 
borne by  fear  on  your  account.  We 
give  thanks  to  God  alway  for  you, 
brethren,  beloved  of  the  Lord,  because 
we  are  more  and  more  sure  that  from 
the  beginning  God  purposed  your 
salvation  and  sanctification,  and  that 
He  has  been  working  all  the  time  for 
the  establishment  of  your  belief  of  the 
truth.  We  have  a  peculiarly  strong 
conviction  about  you.  We  believe 
that  you  are  specially  chosen  of  God 
for  the  illustration  of  some  of  the 
deepest   spiritual   truths;  so   we   say 


INTRODUCTION  241 

again — stand  fast,  lay  a  strong  hand 
upon  all  the  doctrines  which  you  have 
already  received,  when  we  were  with 
you  in  the  body,  and  when  we  wrote 
to  you  our  epistle. 

God  be  with  you.  Remember  that 
Jesus  Christ  loved  you  and  gave  Him- 
self for  you.  Let  this  be  the  eternal 
comfort  of  your  souls,  expressing  it- 
self in  a  good  hope  through  grace,  and 
stablishing  you  in  every  good  word 
and  work.  Do  not  give  way  to  verbal 
speculation  or  entangle  yourselves  in 
wordy  disputes,  but  keep  on  steadily 
and  hopefully,  working  in  every  pos- 
sible service,  for  work  is  the  best 
corrective  of  speculation  and  the  best 
discipline  of  mere  fancy. 

As  we  thus  desire  heavenly  blessings 
for  you,  so  we  would  call  you  to  a 
ministry  of  prayer  on  our  own  behalf. 
We  are  in  no  doubt  or  uncertainty  as 
to  our  faith  and  purpose,  but  we  are 
weak — we  are   subject   to   the  great 

16 


242  INTRODUCTION 

common  temptation.  In  addition  to 
this,  we  are  exposed  to  some  of  the 
hottest  darts  of  the  devil;  therefore, 
brethren,  think  of  us  in  prayer  and 
especially  supplicate  Almighty  God 
that  His  word  may  run  and  be  glori- 
fied even  as  it  is  within  your  own 
boundaries  as  a  church  elect  of  God. 
One  of  our  immediate  difficulties 
arises  from  the  conduct  of  unreason- 
able and  base-minded  men.  They 
have  no  pity,  no  sense  of  justice,  no 
respect  for  human  feeling.  Even 
when  they  do  not  persecute  us,  they 
beseech  us  with  unreasonable  and 
impossible  requests.  We  need  to  be 
prayed  for.  Have  us  frequently  in 
the  thought  of  your  heart,  and  when 
you  have  special  access  to  the  Father 
through  the  Son  think  of  us  and  pray 
God  to  send  a  blessing  upon  our 
ministry.  You  hardly  know  what 
real  faith  and  trust  we  have  in  you, 
and  about  you.  We  are  sure  that 
you  will  eagerly  examine  every  word 
which  we  write  to  you  and  will  do 


INTRODUCTION  243 

your  very  utmost  to  fulfil  our  com- 
mand. We  speak  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord.  If  we  spoke  in  our  own 
name,  we  should  speak  hesitantly, 
but  because  we  speak  in  the  name 
Eternal  hesitation  gives  place  to  con- 
fidence and  emphasis. 

You  will  find  more  and  more  your 
need  of  obeying  most  scrupulously  the 
whole  discipline  of  Christ.  If  any 
man  amongst  you  walks  in  a  dis- 
orderly fashion,  having  invented  some 
scheme  of  his  own,  or  given  himself 
up  to  some  fanciful  theory,  or  loosened 
himself  from  the  severest  bonds  of  law 
and  order,  avoid  that  man.  It  is  easy 
always  to  do  mischief;  it  is  always 
difficult  to  be  virtuous  and  obedient: 
therefore,  avoid  all  influences  that 
would  tend  to  relax  discipline,  or 
to  reduce  the  spirit  of  order  to  a 
minor  position.  Be  followers  of  us. 
We  behaved  not  ourselves  disorderly 
amongst  you;  you  know  that  we 
worked  as  honest  men,  and  did  not 


244  INTRODUCTION 

accept  any  merely  sentimental  charity. 
We  worked  very  hard  when  we  were 
with  you — and,  indeed,  we  have  worked 
very  hard  throughout  our  whole  apos- 
tolic course;  we  were  scrupulously 
anxious  not  to  be  a  burden  to  any  man 
amongst  us.  We  have  always  been 
particular  on  this  matter  of  discip- 
line and  self-help.  We  have  never  en- 
couraged idleness;  we  have  never 
invited  the  idle  man  to  partake  of 
our  loaf  or  cup.  It  is  not  all  good 
news  that  we  have  heard  about  you; 
we  have  even  heard  that  some  people 
whom  you  know  only  too  well  have 
given  up  working  altogether,  and  are 
spending  their  time  as  busybodies. 
This  kind  of  dissipation  must  be  ended. 
We  command  and  exhort  by  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  that  with  quietness  men 
should  work  and  eat  their  own  bread. 
Daily  toil  is  good  for  the  soul;  idle- 
ness always  tends  to  moral  laxity. 
Observe,  brethren  beloved,  that  we  are 
doing  something  more  than  offering 
merely  kindly  advice — we  are  laying 


INTRODUCTION  245 

down  the  commandment  of  God;  and 
in  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  we  com- 
mand that  you  have  no  company  with 
any  man  that  is  idle,  dissipated,  or  lax 
in  discipline.  We  do  not  wish  you  to 
drive  this  man  away  into  outer  dark- 
ness; we  wish  you  to  admonish  him, 
and  to  address  particularly  and  lovingly 
anything  in  him  that  may  betoken 
brotherliness  or  desire  to  do  right. 
Reckless  judgments  are  worthless. 
Do  not  create  enemies  and  then  expel 
them.  Hope  the  very  best  of  every 
man  that  is  in  your  society,  and  try 
to  recover  him  even  if  you  have  to 
resort  to  austere  means  in  breaking 
down  his  perversity.  The  Lord  of 
peace  bless  you  at  all  times  and  in 
all  ways.  May  every  day  be  Sabbath 
day  in  your  soul's  history!  May  you 
be  able  to  retire  from  the  crowd,  and 
the  noise,  and  the  distraction  of  daily 
life,  and  find  a  corner  in  the  sanctuary 
where  you  can  commune  with  the 
spirit  of  peace  and  with  the  spirit  of 
love! 


246  INTRODUCTION 

Here  is  my  signature.  Look  upon 
this  writing  as  a  token.  My  autograph 
is  my  heart.  I  salute  every  one  of  you 
with  a  holy  kiss.  Brethren,  farewell. 
The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be 
with  you  all. 


PRAYER  BEFORE  PERUSAL 

Almighty  God,  though  Thou  dwellest  in  heaven,  yet 
art  Thou  near  unto  every  one  who  calls  upon  Thee  with 
the  desire  of  love,  and  unto  every  one  in  whose  eyes 
are  the  tears  of  penitence.  Thou  dost,  indeed,  inhabit 
eternity  and  the  praises  thereof;  yet  dost  Thou  come 
unto  the  broken  heart  and  the  contrite  spirit,  making 
heaven  there,  in  answer  to  the  cry  of  human  pain, 
under  a  sense  of  the  terribleness  of  sin.  Thou  art 
the  God  that  hears  and  answers  prayer.  Our  fathers 
have  said  so;  we  ourselves  have  known  it  by  blessed 
experience.  So  do  we  continue  our  supplications  unto 
Thy  throne,  even  until  Thou  dost  open  the  windows 
of  heaven  and  pour  out  a  blessing,  until  every  channel 
and  vessel  of  life  be  filled  to  overflowing.  We  confess 
our  sins;  we  seek  Thy  pardon.  We  have  done  the 
things  we  ought  not  to  have  done;  but  Jesus  Christ 
Thy  Son  was  delivered  for  our  offences,  and  raised 
again  for  our  justification.  We  trust  in  the  living 
Saviour,  who  is  the  living  God.  We  rest  our  sins  on 
Jesus;  we  bring  our  guilt  to  His  great  cross;  we  lay 
our  hand  upon  the  sacrifice  which  He  presented;  we 
behold  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sins 
of  the  world.     As  we  look  upon  Him  with  the  eyes  of 

247 


248     PRAYER  BEFORE  PERUSAL 

our  faith  and  our  love,  Thou  dost  say  unto  each  of  us, 
''Thy  sins,  which  are  many,  are  all  forgiven  thee." 
Help  us  to  worship  sincerely  and  profitably  in  this 
hour.  May  we  see  Thee  in  Thy  truth;  feel  Thee,  not 
only  in  Thy  works,  but  in  the  warmth  and  comfort  of 
our  own  hearts,  as  men  who,  having  known  the  bitter- 
ness of  sin,  are  now  permitted  to  know  the  saving  grace 
of  the  living  God!  Make  us  sober;  excite  great  ex^ 
pectations  in  our  heart,  and  satisfy  those  expectations 
with  a  great  rain  of  blessing.  Hear  our  prayer. 
Have  mercy  upon  us.  Renew  our  strength  and  oui 
hope.  Enable  us  to  worship,  in  service,  in  suffering, 
to  glorify  God,  in  whom  alone  we  live  and  move  and 
have  our  being.     Amen. 


CHAPTER  I 

Verse  1 :  "  Paul,  and  Silvanus,  and  Timotheus,  unto 
the  church  of  the  Thessalonians  in  God  our  Father 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

WE  do  not  know  now  the  value  of  a 
letter,  because  every  morning  brings 
its  post,  and  we  are  in  constant  communica- 
tion with  our  dearest  friends.  Consider  what 
it  was  in  apostolic  times  to  receive  a  letter! 
Consider  how  precious  it  must  have  been  to 
such  a  struggling  band  of  tried  disciples  as 
constituted  the  church  at  Thessalonica. 

Mark  how  wonderfully,  through  the  in- 
dividual church,  the  Apostle  addresses  all 
subsequent  ages  of  the  Christian  dispensation. 
It  is  the  peculiarity  of  apostolic  epistles  that 
they  are  not  confined,  as  to  their  meaning 
and  general  purposes,  even  to  the  persons  to 
whom  they  were  nominally  addressed.  To- 
day the  young  evangelist  reads  the  Epistles 

249 


250  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

to  Timothy  and  to  Titus  as  if  they  had  been 
written  expressly  to  himself.  The  full  local 
and  personal  allusions  in  these  apostolic 
letters  in  no  degree  detract  from  their 
catholicity  of  spirit  and  their  universality 
of  application.  To-day  the  elder  minister 
who  would  deliver  a  charge  to  a  newly- 
appointed  brother  would  come  to  the  Epistles 
to  Timothy  and  Titus  for  the  ground  and 
basis  of  his  best  counsels  and  exhortations. 
This  is  the  peculiarity  of  the  whole  Bible. 
With  all  its  personality,  and  local  limitation, 
and  references  to  forgotten  names  and  recon- 
structed places,  there  runs  through  the  Bible 
a  living  stream  of  doctrine  and  illustration 
which  will  refresh  the  latest  ages  of  the 
Church.  This  is  one  of  the  main  argu- 
ments on  behalf  of  the  divine  inspiration 
of  the  record  which  we  regard  as  holy  and 
final. 

Verse  2:  "Grace  unto  you,  and  peace,  from  God 
our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Lilies  from  the  garden  of  God!  The 
apostles  always  created  an  atmosphere  within 
which  their  letters  were  to  be  read.     The 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       251 

apostles  gathered  the  Thessalonians  into  one 
loving  body  of  redeemed  men,  and  baptized 
them,  so  to  say,  with  grace  and  peace  from 
the  unseen  fountain  of  the  infinite  love.  The 
benediction  is  the  atmosphere  in  which  the 
letter  is  to  be  read.  I  must  apply  this  more 
and  more  to  my  own  reading  of  the  whole 
Scriptures.  I  must  not  come  into  this 
sanctuary  with  reckless  feet,  or  with  a  mind 
stuffed  with  its  own  worthless  vanities  of 
criticism  and  speculation.  I  must  enter  the 
temple  of  Holy  Scripture  in  the  spirit  which 
inspired  it  and  sealed  it  to  me  and  to  every 
man  as  a  special  inheritance  of  the  soul. 
What  is  the  first  verse  in  the  Bible  but 
another  way  of  saying,  "  Grace  unto  you,  and 
peace,  from  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ"?  The  whole  Trinity  is  in  the 
opening  chapters  of  Genesis.  Where  the 
Trinity  is,  the  benediction  is.  The  benedic- 
tion, therefore,  is  the  spirit  in  which  we  must 
receive  God's  letters  addressed  to  the  need, 
the  pain,  and  the  sorrow  of  the  heart.  An 
impetuous  piety  might  cut  off  all  the  saluta- 
tions, benedictions,  and  greetings,  under  the 
impression  that  it  was  going  into  the  very 


252  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

centre  of  the  matter  revealed.  This  would 
be  an  infinite  mistake.  These  apparently 
superfluous  portions  are  essential  to  the 
colour,  the  atmosphere,  and  the  emphasis  of 
the  whole  revelation.  Have  I  received  this 
grace  and  peace  into  my  own  heart?  Am  I 
in  constant  and  vital  communication  with  the 
Eternal  God?  Am  I  living  upon  my  own 
favour,  am  I  trying  to  create  my  own  peace, 
or  do  I  go  daily  to  the  heavenly  fountain, 
and  moment  by  moment  connect  myself  with 
the  springs  of  heaven? 


Verse  3:  "We  are  bound  to  thank  God  always  for 
you,  brethren,  as  it  is  meet,  because  that  your  faith 
groweth  exceedingly,  and  the  charity  of  every  one  of 
you  all  toward  each  other  aboundeth." 


What  a  reputation  to  have!  The  reputa- 
tion would  be  worth  having  if  it  were  con- 
ferred by  one  of  their  own  number,  but  being 
conferred  by  such  men  as  Paul  and  Silvanus 
and  Timotheus,  how  precious  was  the  spiritual 
fame!  We  ourselves  are  bound  to  thank 
God  for  all  good  men,  all  wise  teachers,  all 
holy  examples.  How  poor  would  the  world 
be  if  we  were  to  take  out  of  its  records  the 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       253 

influence  of  the  very  humblest  workers  who 
have  accepted  the  service  of  Christ!  The 
apostles,  in  effect,  kept  a  record  of  the  growth 
of  Christianity  in  their  day:  how  true  it  is 
that  God  Himself  keeps  a  book  of  remem- 
brance in  which  all  our  lives  are  traced  with 
the  pen  of  justice  held  by  the  hand  of  for- 
bearing mercy!  The  Thessalonians  had  so 
lived  as  to  create  a  fame  extending  far 
beyond  their  own  local  boundaries.  We 
create  the  best  fame  when  we  pay  no  atten- 
tion to  it;  ever-toiling,  ever-hoping  love 
will  bring  the  soul  all  the  fame  that  is  due 
to  it.  The  Thessalonians  were  not  to  be  kept 
within  bounds;  that  is  the  literal  meaning 
of  the  words  "groweth  exceedingly.' '  They 
were  as  branches  that  grew  beyond  the  walls 
of  their  own  enclosure;  they  were  as  an 
overflowing  stream  refreshing  the  lands  be- 
yond. Nor  was  it  a  growth  or  a  blessing 
of  this  kind  only;  the  great  public  influence 
was  to  be  accounted  for  in  no  small  measure 
by  the  internal  charity  of  the  Thessalonian 
brethren.  They  were  good  at  home,  there- 
fore, they  had  fame  abroad.  "The  charity 
of  every  one  of  you  all  toward  each  other 


254  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

aboundeth" — where  this  is  the  home  record, 
the  foreign  reputation  will  take  its  scope 
and  quality  from  it.  How  pitiable  it  is 
for  any  man  to  have  a  great  public  reputa- 
tion and  to  have  but  a  mean  or  unworthy 
record  at  home!  "Other  vineyards  have  I 
kept,  mine  own  vineyard  have  I  not  kept." 
This  was  not  so  with  the  Thessalonians,  for 
each  emulated  the  love  and  the  service  of  the 
other.  Here  I  might  pierce  my  heart  with 
many  a  severe  question.  Have  I  been  wanting 
in  love  to  my  brethren?  Have  I  filled  my 
own  house  with  the  spirit  of  love?  Do 
servants  and  children  think  the  house  sweeter 
and  better  because  I  am  in  it?  If  a  man 
fail  in  love,  surely  he  fails  altogether,  though 
he  speak  with  many  tongues,  and  can  cast 
his  prophetic  spirit  over  the  centuries  to 
come. 


Verse  4 :  "So  that  we  ourselves  glory  in  you  in 
the  churches  of  God  for  your  patience  and  faith  in 
all  your  persecutions  and  tribulations  that  ye  endure." 


In  this  way  we  may  do  good  even  to  the 
greatest  men:  we  encourage  them  in  their 
work;  we  confirm  them  in  their  faith;  we 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       255 

stir  them  up  to  more  heroic  endurance.  The 
churches  were  the  best  commendation  of  the 
Apostles.  They  had  no  written  certificates 
to  carry  them  from  city  to  city  or  from 
land  to  land;  but  they  could  point  to  their 
converts,  and  say,  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  "  Behold,  the  value  and  extent  of 
our  holy  work."  Wonderful  is  the  power 
of  example  and  influence  in  encouraging 
other  men,  and  thus  multiplying  their 
ministry.  The  writer  to  the  Hebrews  be- 
came quite  exultant  when  he  recalled  the 
names  of  Gedeon,  and  Barak,  Samson,  and 
Jephthae,  David  also,  and  Samuel !  Thus  we 
live  in  one  another  and  for  one  another. 
As  we  recall  the  past  in  an  appreciative 
and  grateful  spirit,  we  best  prepare  for  an 
unknown  future. 

The  Thessalonians  did  not  live  a  contem- 
plative and  luxurious  life,  one  man  excelling 
another  in  poetic  phraseology,  or  in  colour  and 
tuneful  dreams.  Far  from  it.  The  record 
is  one  of  " tribulations  that  ye  endure."  It 
was  precisely  so  in  the  olden  time.  The 
great    souls    of    yesterday    "  through    faith 


256  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

subdued  kingdoms,  wrought  righteousness, 
obtained  promises,  stopped  the  mouths  of 
lions,  quenched  the  violence  of  fire,  escaped 
the  edge  of  the  sword,  out  of  weakness  were 
made  strong,  waxed  valiant  in  fight,  turned 
to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens."  This 
is  but  an  expansion  of  verse  4.  If  we  could 
read  "  patience,"  "faith,"  "  persecutions" 
aright,  we  should  see  in  the  depths  of  these 
historical  terms  the  whole  tragedy  of  suffer- 
ing in  the  name  of  God  and  for  the  sake 
of  Christ.  We  say,  "  Happy  is  the  nation 
that  has  no  annals,"  but  we  cannot  say  so 
of  the  Christian  Church.  Poor  is  the  church 
whose  history  is  not  written  in  trouble 
and  defeat,  in  fear  and  in  sorrow  of  divers 
kinds.  Our  experience  is  our  strength. 
Poor  is  the  soul  that  has  had  no  trial  of 
patience  and  faith,  and  that  has  never  tasted 
the  bitterness  of  persecutions  and  tribula- 
tions. This  is  one  of  the  very  glories  of 
Christ  Himself,  that  He  was  made  perfect 
through  suffering.  "  Consider  Him  that  en- 
dured such  contradiction  of  sinners  against 
Himself,  lest  ye  be  wearied  and  faint  in  your 
minds." 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       257 

Verse  5:  "  Which  is  a  manifest  token  of  the 
righteous  judgment  of  God,  that  ye  may  be  counted 
worthy  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  for  which  ye  also 
suffer." 


If  we  read  "persecution"  aright,  we  shall 
see  that  it  is  only  preparing  itself  for  the 
righteous  judgment  of  God.  The  Apostles 
would  never  allow  their  converts  to  be  scared 
by  their  adversaries.  In  writing  to  the 
Philippians,  Paul  says,  "In  nothing  terrified 
by  your  adversaries" — that  is,  affrighted, 
scared,  alarmed;  be  perfectly  calm  in  the 
presence  of  the  fiercest  opposition.  The 
great  object  which  the  soul  must  have  con- 
stantly in  view  is  that  it  "may  be  counted 
worthy  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  for  which 
ye  also  suffer."  Jesus  Christ  said  the  same 
thing  when  he  pronounced  the  Beatitude 
"Blessed  are  they  which  are  persecuted  for 
righteousness'  sake:  for  theirs  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven."  The  Apostle  Peter  waxed 
eloquent  when  he  thought  of  subdued  oppo- 
sition and  sanctified  affliction:  "Beloved, 
think  it  not  strange  concerning  the  fiery 
trial  which  is  to  try  you,  as  though  some 
strange  thing  happened  unto  you:  but  rejoice, 

17 


258  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

inasmuch  as  ye  are  partakers  of  Christ's 
sufferings;  that,  when  His  glory  shall  be 
revealed,  ye  may  be  glad  also  with  exceeding 
joy"  (1  Peter  iv.  12,  13).  This  is  not  the  only 
occasion  in  which  the  Apostle  Paul  cheers 
heroic  sufferers:  "It  is  a  faithful  saying: 
For  if  we  be  dead  with  Him,  we  shall 
also  live  with  Him:  if  we  suffer,  we  shall 
also  reign  with  Him"  (2  Tim.  ii.  11,  12). 
James  would  have  sufferers  for  Christ's  sake 
count  it  all  joy  when  they  fall  into  divers 
trials,  because  he  knows  that  one  virtue 
prepares  the  way  for  another,  and  that  the 
end  of  all  trial  is  the  soul's  completeness 
in  Christ.  The  apostles  laid  it  down  as  a 
fundamental  truth  in  Christian  experience 
that  "we  must  through  much  tribulation 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God."  This  is 
true  of  every  kingdom  that  is  worth  entering. 
We  must  in  some  sense  pay  the  price  for 
all  our  culture,  strength,  influence.  It  is 
a  mistake  to  limit  the  word  "price"  to 
money,  or  to  construe  "pay"  as  a  commercial 
transaction.  "All  that  will  live  godly  in 
Christ  Jesus  shall  suffer  persecution."  If  we 
continue  with  Christ  in  his  temptations,  He 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       259 

will  appoint  unto  us  a  kingdom;  in  other 
words,  if  we  suffer,  we  shall  also  reign  with 
Him. 

Verse  6:  "Seeing  it  is  a  righteous  thing  with 
God  to  recompense  tribulation  to  them  that  trouble 
you." 

Christians  are  in  the  charge  of  Christ.  He 
knows  every  trouble  that  they  bear.  He 
knows  when  they  are  utterly  overcome  by 
fatigue,  when  they  can  no  longer  run  as  strong 
men,  but  " pursue,"  though  with  faintness. 
He  who  smites  the  Christian  smites  Christ, 
and  God  will  see  that  the  smiter  himself  is 
smitten,  not  for  the  mere  sake  of  avenging 
insult,  but  for  the  man's  own  sake, that  he  may 
see  how  much  it  means  to  fight  against  the 
living  Lord.  Let  us  rest  in  the  confidence  that 
vengeance  is  God's,  and  he  will  repay.  "For 
thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts;  After  the  glory 
hath  He  sent  me  unto  the  nations  which 
spoiled  you :  for  he  that  toucheth  you  toucheth 
the  apple  of  His  eye"  (Zech.  ii.  8). 

Verse  7:  "And  to  you  who  are  troubled  rest 
with  us,  when  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  be  revealed  from 
heaven  with  His  mighty  angels." 

The  apostles  do  not  separate  themselves 


260  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

from  the  common  Christian  life  of  the 
churches,  hence  the  expression  "with  us." 
"Rest"  is  a  term  which  admits  of  many  appli- 
cations— peace  of  mind,  deliverance  from 
anxiety,  the  sleep  of  death,  the  sabbath  of 
untroubled  confidence.  The  apostles  had  no 
doubt  as  to  the  living  personality  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  To  them  the  Saviour  was  not  only  an 
inspiring  memory,  or  a  hallowing  influence — 
He  was  a  distinct  being,  a  personality  about 
whose  identity  there  could  be  no  possible 
mistake.  The  Lord  Jesus  is  revealed  from 
heaven  in  many  ways.  This  is  characteristic 
of  the  divine  revelation  from  age  to  age.  God 
came  in  fire,  in  wind,  in  sudden  and  uplifting 
inspirations,  in  a  still  small  voice,  anony- 
mously in  his  wrestling  with  Jacob,  almost 
literally  in  his  talking  to  Moses  and  the 
prophets.  Fire  is  a  favourite  symbol  of  the 
divine  revelation:  "The  Lord  Himself  shall 
descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the 
voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of 
God"  (1  Thess.  iv.  16);  "The  Son  of  man 
shall  send  forth  His  angels,  and  they  shall 
gather  out  of  His  kingdom  all  things  that 
offend,  and  them  which  do  iniquity ;  and  shall 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       261 

cast  them  into  a  furnace  of  fire"  (Matt.  xiii. 
41,  42). 


Verse  8:  "In  naming  fire  taking  vengeance  on 
them  that  know  not  God,  and  that  obey  not  the 
gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 


The  Bible  has  never  disguised  the  fact  that 
when  the  Lord  Jesus  comes  it  will  be  a  fearful 
day  for  the  sinner.  We  are  to  understand 
these  terms  as  inflicting  the  severest  spiritual 
punishment  upon  the  soul.  Regard  fire  as 
a  symbol,  and  out  of  it  will  come  all  the 
appalling  suggestions  associated  with  the 
judicial  term.  For  a  time  the  Lord  Jesus 
accepts  his  rejection  with  serenity  and  even 
with  sorrowful  acquiescence.  Passages  of  this 
kind  should  be  contrasted  with  passages  of 
the  opposite  nature,  such  as,  "I  am  meek  and 
lowly  in  heart";  "When  He  was  reviled,  He 
reviled  not  again;  when  He  suffered,  He 
threatened  not";  "He  gave  His  back  to  the 
smiters,  and  His  cheeks  to  them  that  plucked 
off  the  hair."  Side  by  side  with  such  tender 
descriptions  of  the  Saviour's  forbearance  and 
meekness  set  passages  which  seem  to  be 
aflame  with  holy  indignation:  "Behold,  the 


262  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

Lord  will  come  with  fire,  and  with  His 
chariots  like  a  whirlwind,  to  render  His 
anger  with  fury,  and  His  rebuke  with  flames 
of  fire";  "A  certain  fearful  looking  for 
of  judgment  and  fiery  indignation,  which 
shall  devour  the  adversaries";  "For  our 
God  is  a  consuming  fire";  "The  heavens 
and  the  earth,  which  are  now,  by  the  same 
word  are  kept  in  store,  reserved  unto  fire 
against  the  day  of  judgment  and  perdition  of 
ungodly  men";  "The  wicked  shall  be  turned 
into  hell,  and  all  the  nations  that  forget  God" ; 
"Tribulation  and  anguish  upon  every  soul  of 
man  that  doeth  evil,  of  the  Jew  first,  and  also 
of  the  Gentile."  From  these  passages  we 
learn  how  great  must  have  been  the  suffering 
of  God  and  of  His  Son  in  the  face  of  our 
rebellion,  ingratitude,  and  rejection  of  his 
offered  love.  We  require  such  passages  to 
give  us  some  idea  of  God's  conception  of  the 
Cross.  It  was  from  no  superficial  punishment 
that  God  sought  to  preserve  us.  He  knew 
the  result,  the  natural  and  inevitable  result, 
of  hardheartedness  and  unbelief;  and  only 
at  the  last,  so  to  say,  when  he  was  forced  to 
bring  the  argument  of  consequences  to  bear 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       263 

upon  us,  did  He  speak  of  all  this  fire,  and 
darkness,  and  torment.  A  right  reading  of 
God's  mercy  will  give  us  also  a  right  reading 
of  our  own  sin.  What  must  sin  be  when  it 
cost  the  Eternal  God  so  much  to  remove  it 
from  the  world  which  it  disgraced  and  dis- 
ennobled ! 


Verse  9:  "Who  shall  be  punished  with  ever- 
lasting destruction  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and 
from  the  glory  of  His  power." 


This  is  the  punishment  of  deprivation! 
To  be  shut  out  of  God's  presence,  to  be 
turned  away  from  the  light,  to  have  no 
share  in  the  bounty  of  noonday — these  are 
deprivations  so  complete  as  to  amount  to  a 
positive  penalty.  Surely  intimations  of  this 
kind  should  have  a  deterrent  effect  upon 
sinful  souls.  "  These  shall  go  away  into 
everlasting  punishment."  "He  shall  be 
tormented  with  fire  and  brimstone  in  the 
presence  of  the  Lamb:  and  the  smoke  of 
their  torment  ascendeth  up  for  ever  and 
ever."  What,  then,  must  sin  be!  It  is  no 
problem  in  ethics,  it  is  no  temporary  lapse 
or  defect  of  harmony;  it  is  a  cruel  wound 


264  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

inflicted  upon  the  heart  of  infinite  love. 
What,  then,  must  be  their  joy  who  are  de- 
livered from  all  this  sorrow  and  are  called 
into  the  kingdom  of  light  and  peace!  "In 
Thy  presence  is  fulness  of  joy;  at  Thy  right 
hand  there  are  pleasures  for  evermore." 
Trifle  with  these  words  as  we  may,  there 
they  remain,  representing  the  saddest  tragedy 
in  the  universe.  It  may  suit  us  in  some 
moods  to  ignore  the  appalling  side  of  things, 
but  they  are  wise  who  look  at  that  side 
steadily,  thoughtfully,  and  prayerfully.  What- 
ever the  destiny  of  the  wicked  may  be,  the 
Bible  never  associates  it  with  anything 
that  is  not  terror-inspiring  and  unspeakably 
appalling.  "They  shall  go  into  the  holes 
of  the  rocks,  and  into  the  caves  of  the 
earth,  for  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  for  the  glory 
of  His  majesty,  when  He  arise th  to  shake 
terribly  the  earth"  (Isa.  ii.  19).  "Behold,  He 
cometh  with  clouds;  and  every  eye  shall 
see  Him,  and  they  also  which  pierced  Him: 
and  all  kindreds  of  the  earth  shall  wail 
because  of  Him.  Even  so,  Amen"  (Rev.  i.  7). 
It  is  one  of  two  things  when  Christ  comes 
to  us — He  brings   salvation   or  destruction. 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        265 

The  Gospel  is  a  savour  of  life  unto  life,  or 
of  death  unto  death.  "A  Sceptre  shall  rise 
out  of  Israel,  and  shall  smite  the  corners 
of  Moab,  and  destroy  all  the  children  of 
Sheth."  My  soul,  come  not  thou  into  the 
secret  of  these  experiences!  I  must  not 
fritter  away  my  time  in  speculating  upon 
the  destiny  of  the  wicked;  I  must  devote 
myself  heart  and  soul  to  the  obedience  of 
the  Gospel.  The  mysteries  of  destiny  are 
not  to  be  solved  by  intellectual  speculation. 
We  are  to  serve  the  Son,  and  kiss  His  lips 
lest  He  be  angry  with  us,  and  we  perish 
from  the  way  when  his  wrath  is  kindled 
but  a  little. 


Verse  10:  "When  He  shall  come  to  be  glorified  in 
His  saints,  and  to  be  admired  in  all  them  that  believe 
(because  our  testimony  among  you  was  believed)  in 
that  day." 


To  the  Egyptians  the  presence  of  God  was 
one  thing,  to  Israel  quite  another.  So  it 
shall  be  in  the  coming  of  our  Lord.  To  His 
enemies  how  great  a  terror!  to  us  who  expect 
Him  with  all  the  ardour  of  love  what  an 
unspeakable  joy!     Christ  shall  not  be  left 


266  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

destitute  in  the  winding  up  of  the  economies 
and  dispensations  of  time.  "Lo,  a  great 
multitude,  which  no  man  could  number,  of 
all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people,  and 
tongues,  stood  before  the  throne,  and  before 
the  Lamb,  clothed  with  white  robes,  and 
palms  in  their  hands;  and  cried  with  a  loud 
voice,  saying,  Salvation  to  our  God  which 
sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb. 
And  all  the  angels  stood  round  about  the 
throne,  and  about  the  elders  and  the  four 
beasts,  and  fell  before  the  throne  on  their  faces, 
and  worshipped  God,  saying,  Amen:  Blessing, 
and  glory,  and  wisdom,  and  thanksgiving, 
and  honour,  and  power,  and  might,  be  unto 
our  God  for  ever  and  ever."  The  Church  is 
the  glory  of  Christ.  Did  not  the  Apostle 
mean  the  same  thing  when  he  said,  "What  is 
our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  rejoicing?  Are 
not  even  ye  in  the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  at  His  coming?  For  ye  are  our  glory 
and  joy"?  Shall  I  be  a  gem  in  the  crown  of  my 
Saviour?  Shall  I  be  recognised  by  Him  when 
He  brings  His  final  criticism  to  bear  upon  the 
history  of  men?  Shall  I  by  His  own  love  be 
made  worthy  of  a  place  at  His  feet?    These 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       267 

are  the  questions  which  should  purify  motive 
and  elevate  conduct  to  its  highest  level. 

Verses  11,  12:  "Wherefore  also  we  pray  always  for 
you,  that  our  God  would  count  you  worthy  of  this 
calling,  and  fulfil  all  the  good  pleasure  of  his  goodness, 
and  the  work  of  faith  with  power:  that  the  name 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  may  be  glorified  in  you,  and 
ye  in  Him,  according  to  the  grace  of  our  God  and  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

What  is  to  be  the  outcome  of  persecution 
and  tribulation  such  as  we  have  read  of  in 
verse  4?  Jesus  saw  beyond  all  the  suffering. 
He  endured  the  cross,  despising  the  shame; 
and  from  afar  He  saw  the  gathered  Church, 
with  the  blood  mark  upon  it,  the  sign  of 
redemption  and  the  seal  of  acceptance.  Only 
let  us  give  ourselves  up  to  God  that  He  may 
fulfil  all  the  good  pleasure  of  His  goodness, 
and  the  work  of  faith  with  power.  Our  own 
little  works  are  not  to  be  the  measure  of  the 
final  glory  with  which  Christ  shall  crown  our 
lives.  "Not  according  to  our  works,  but 
according  to  His  own  purpose  and  grace." 
We  are  to  think  of  God  as  having  predeter- 
mined all  things,  and  as  never  for  a  moment 
sharing  His  throne  or  sceptre  with  any  rival 
power.    We  are  to  think  of  Him  as  "having 


268  SECOND  EPISTLE  THESSALONIANS 

predestinated  us  unto  the  adoption  of  children 
by  Jesus  Christ  to  Himself,  according  to  the 
good  pleasure  of  His  will"  (Eph.  i.  5).  This 
issue  is  worth  fighting  for  and  waiting  for. 
We  are  apt  to  be  impatient  by  the  slowness 
of  time  and  the  disappointment  of  narrow 
calculations.  We  are  to  live  in  the  grace  of 
God.  We  are  to  nestle  in  the  heart  of  the 
infinite  mercy.  Then,  come  the  day  of  reve- 
lation when  it  may,  it  will  bring  with  it  a 
morning  which  no  night  shall  displace — an 
infinite  calm  which  no  storm  can  trouble. 


CHAPTER  II 

Verse  1 :  "  Now  we  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the 
coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  our  gathering 
together  unto  Him." 

THUS  the  Apostle  turns  the  upper- 
most thought  of  the  Thessalonians  to 
advantage,  making  many  practical  possi- 
bilities turn  upon  it.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  the  Thessalonians  were  in  some  way 
expecting  the  coming  of  the  Lord — the 
Apostle  does  not  avail  himself  of  any  am- 
biguous metaphor  in  setting  forth  that  great 
event  in  Christian  history.  This  is  no 
uncommon  idea  in  the  New  Testament. 
"Exhorting  one  another:  and  so  much  the 
more,  as  ye  see  the  day  approaching" 
(Heb.  x.  25).  Indeed,  in  the  first  Epistle 
addressed  to  the  Thessalonian  church  the 
matter  is  referred  to  in  equally  definite 
terms.  "For  the  Lord  Himself  shall  descend 
from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice 

269 


270  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of 
God:  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first: 
then  we  which  are  alive  and  remain  shall 
be  caught  up  together  with  them  in  the 
clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air:  and 
so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord" 
(1  Thess.  iv.  16,  17).  There  is  a  sense  in 
which  we  may  daily  expect  the  coming  of 
the  Lord;  so  comforted  am  I  by  this  re- 
flection that  I  do  not  concern  myself  with 
specific  dates — the  date  may  interfere  with 
the  spiritual  significance  of  the  event.  It  is 
enough  for  my  heart  to  know  that  the  Lord, 
in  His  own  way,  and  at  His  own  time, 
will  come  to  claim  his  own  people.  Whilst 
we  are  calculating  dates  we  may  be  sacrificing 
opportunities  of  doing  good.  Speculation 
has  its  bounds;  but  service  has  its  immediate 
responsibilities.  I  will  sit  on  the  steps  of 
the  sanctuary  until  the  Lord  Himself  is 
pleased  to  open  the  door  and  shed  upon  me 
the  light  of  His  countenance. 

Verse  2:  "That  ye  be  not  soon  shaken  in  mind, 
or  be  troubled,  neither  by  spirit,  nor  by  word,  nor  by 
letter  as  from  us,  as  that  the  day  of  Christ  is  at  hand." 

What  a  penetrating  estimate  of  the  whole 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       271 

possibility!  The  very  comforts  of  the 
Christian  may  be  turned  into  troubles  by 
mischievous  men.  They  will  suggest,  or 
invent,  or  misapply,  or  in  any  way  pervert 
both  the  word  and  the  work  of  God  so  as 
to  unsettle  the  faith  of  the  Christian.  On 
all  subjects  so  delicate  there  may  be  advisers 
whom  God  has  called  into  His  counsels, 
or  put  in  charge  of  His  revelations.  "  Beloved, 
believe  not  every  spirit,  but  try  the  spirits 
whether  they  are  of  God:  because  many 
false  prophets  are  gone  out  into  the  world" 
(1  John  iv.  1).  The  Lord  Himself  foresaw 
that  certain  perverse  minds  would  take 
advantage  of  His  promise  to  come  again  and 
unsettle  the  faith  and  hope  of  many.  "Take 
heed  that  no  man  deceive  you.  For  many 
shall  come  in  My  name,  saying,  I  am  Christ; 
and  shall  deceive  many.  And  ye  shall  hear 
of  wars  and  rumours  of  wars:  see  that  ye  be 
not  troubled:  for  all  these  things  must  come 
to  pass,  but  the  end  is  not  yet"  (Matt.  xxiv. 
4-6).  The  coming  of  Christ,  even  in  the 
first  instance,  was  not  made  matter  of  date, 
but  was  hidden  in  the  heart  of  man  as  a 
great  expectation  and  a  daily  stimulus  to 


272  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

faith  and  hope.  So  it  is  with  the  second 
coming.  Certain  great  events  have  to  take 
place  before  the  Lord  shall  reappear.  "This 
gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached  in 
all  the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations; 
and  then  shall  the  end  come"  (Matt.  xxiv.  14). 
This  expectation  has  maintained  the  courage 
of  the  Church  from  century  to  century. 
"We,  according  to  His  promise,  look  for  new 
heavens  and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth 
righteousness"  (2  Peter  hi.  13).  We  are  not 
to  allow  ourselves  to  be  disturbed  and 
troubled  upon  the  matter  of  our  Lord's 
reappearance;  the  soul  is  to  rest  in  the  Lord 
and  wait  patiently  for  Him.  The  best  way 
to  prepare  for  the  Second  Advent  of  Christ 
is  by  doing  the  duty  which  lies  to  our  hand, 
assured  that  when  the  Lord  comes  that 
servant  will  be  blessed  who  is  found  waiting, 
doing  his  Lord's  will,  and  lovingly  cherishing 
the  Lord's  promise.  This  is  my  faith.  Here 
my  soul  rests  amid  all  the  clouds,  vexations, 
and  trials  of  this  present  time.  Centuries 
are  much  to  me,  but  they  are  less  than  a 
moment  to  the  living  God;  to  Him  a 
thousand  years  are  as  one  day,  and  one  day 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       273 

is  as  a  thousand  years.  A  false  estimate  will 
disable  us  for  the  true  interpretation  of  God's 
purposes  and  God's  promises. 

Verse  3 :  "  Let  no  man  deceive  you  by  any  means : 
for  that  day  shall  not  come,  except  there  come  a 
falling  away  first,  and  that  man  of  sin  be  revealed,  the 
son  of  perdition." 

The  Apostle  always  kept  his  eyes  on  the 
possibility  that  deceivers  would  arise  to  vex 
the  church.  The  apostles  did  not  necessarily 
expect  the  Lord  even  in  their  own  time, 
though  many  of  their  words  on  a  superficial 
glance  would  countenance  the  idea  that  He 
might  come  at  any  moment.  An  assurance 
such  as  we  find  in  this  verse  plainly  indicates 
that  many  things  were  to  happen  before  the 
second  coming  of  the  Son  of  man.  Notably 
there  was  to  be  a  great  apostasy;  there  was 
also  to  be  a  great  revelation  of  the  image 
and  influence  of  evil.  "Now  the  Spirit 
speaketh  expressly,  that  in  the  latter  times 
some  shall  depart  from  the  faith,  giving  heed 
to  seducing  spirits,  and  doctrines  of  devils; 
speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy;  having  their 
conscience  seared  with  a  hot  iron;  forbidding 
to  marry,  and  commanding  to  abstain  from 

18 


274  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

meats,  which  God  hath  created  to  be  received 
with  thanksgiving  of  them  which  believe 
and  know  the  truth"  (1  Tim.  iv.  1-3). 
What  an  unspeakable  comfort  it  is  to  know 
that  even  apostasies  are  calculated  in  the 
divine  scheme  and  evolution  of  things! 
Nothing  happens  that  has  not  been  foreseen 
and,  as  it  were,  arranged  for.  The  devil  is 
to  be  seen  in  all  his  naked  hideousness,  the 
spirit  of  evil  is  to  do  its  worst.  Greater 
things  have  yet  to  be  seen  in  the  realm  of 
evil.  When  the  enemy  has  come  to  the  end 
of  his  chain  he  is  to  be  bruised  and  destroyed. 
"Satan  himself  is  transformed  into  an  angel 
of  light."  We  read  of  some  evil  influences 
which  are  described  as  "the  spirits  of  devils 
working  miracles."  "There  shall  arise  false 
Christs  and  false  prophets,  and  shall  show 
signs  and  wonders,  to  seduce,  if  it  were 
possible,  even  the  elect."  The  intensest 
darkness  proverbially  precedes  the  dawn. 

Verse  4:  "Who  opposeth  and  exalteth  himself 
above  all  that  is  called  God,  or  that  is  worshipped: 
so  that  he  as  God  sitteth  in  the  temple  of  God, 
showing  himself  that  he  is  God." 

Speculation  about  the   "man  of  sin,"   or 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       275 

"the  son  of  perdition,  who  oppose th  and  ex- 
alteth  himself  above  all  that  is  called  God, 
or  that  is  worshipped,"  is  to  a  large  extent 
unprofitable.  Let  us  keep  to  the  facts  with 
which  we  are  only  too  painfully  familiar — 
that  is  to  say,  to  the  destructive  influences 
which  are  continually  at  work  in  our  own 
hearts.  Whilst  we  are  going  in  search  of 
speculative  answers  to  mysterious  questions 
the  enemy  may  be  working  havoc  in  our 
own  souls.  This  is  the  spiritual  position 
which  I  desire  to  maintain.  If  there  are 
peculiarly  gifted  or  specially  inspired  persons 
who  can  see  into  the  secret  ways  of  God, 
let  them  speak  with  a  due  sense  of  responsi- 
bility; but  as  for  those  of  us  to  whom  no 
such  gift  has  been  entrusted,  let  us  keep 
our  hearts  with  all  diligence,  and  serve  in 
love  where  we  cannot  speak  in  the  spirit  of 
prophecy.  There  must  be  no  self-exaltation; 
there  must  be  no  endeavour  to  oust  the  living 
God  from  His  own  throne,  or  from  His  own 
temple.  We  must  live  in  humbleness  and 
gravity  of  mind;  then  the  day  can  bring  us 
no  surprise  that  will  unsettle  our  faith,  and 
no  cloud  that  can  blot  out  our  hope. 


276  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

Verses  5-7:  "Remember  ye  not,  that,  when  I 
was  yet  with  you,  I  told  you  these  things?  And 
now  ye  know  what  withholdeth  that  he  might  be 
revealed  in  his  time.  For  the  mystery  of  iniquity 
doth  already  work:  only  he  who  now  letteth  will 
let,  until  he  be  taken  out  of  the  way." 

These  are  words  of  supreme  mystery  which 
we  cannot  literally  interpret.  Yet  we  can 
appreciate  their  spiritual  idealism.  The 
language  is  strange  to  us,  and  yet  it  seems 
clearly  to  express  the  pain  created  by  some 
burden  and  torment  of  personal  experience. 
There  are  voices  in  the  air  we  cannot  in- 
terpret. Many  an  effect  cannot  be  traced 
to  its  hidden  cause.  There  is  undoubtedly 
a  mystery  of  iniquity  working  in  the  motives, 
the  policies,  the  ambitions,  and  even  in  the 
prayers  of  men.  The  devil  will  die  hard. 
We  have  certain  great  rules  by  which  to 
determine  our  own  conduct.  "  Every  spirit 
that  confesseth  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come 
in  the  flesh  is  not  of  God:  and  this  is  that 
spirit  of  antichrist,  whereof  ye  have  heard 
that  it  should  come;  and  even  now  already 
is  it  in  the  world"  (1  John  iv.  3).  In  the 
Second  Epistle  of  Peter  the  strongest  language 
is  used  respecting  the  apostasy:  " There  shall 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       277 

be  false  teachers  among  you,  who  privily 
shall  bring  in  damnable  heresies,  even  deny- 
ing the  Lord  that  bought  them,  and  bring 
upon  themselves  swift  destruction.  And 
many  shall  follow  their  pernicious  ways" 
(2  Peter  ii.  1,  2).  Many  of  these  passages 
must  be  regarded  ideally,  rather  than  literally 
and  narrowly.  The  soul  will  be  able  to  read 
the  meaning  which  is  hidden  within  the  shell 
of  the  letter.  We  know  what  it  is  to  be 
spiritually  seduced;  let  us  beware  lest  we 
make  a  mystery  of  our  own  backsliding, 
wondering  what  it  is  and  shirking  responsi- 
bility for  its  occurrence  when  we  know 
perfectly  well  that  the  reason  is  hidden  in 
the  iniquity  of  our  own  hearts. 


Verses  8-10:  "And  then  shall  that  Wicked  be 
revealed,  whom  the  Lord  shall  consume  with  the 
spirit  of  His  mouth,  and  shall  destroy  with  the 
brightness  of  His  coming:  even  him,  whose  coming 
is  after  the  working  of  Satan  with  all  power  and 
signs  and  lying  wonders,  and  with  all  deceivableness 
of  unrighteousness  in  them  that  perish;  because  they 
received  not  the  love  of  the  truth,  that  they  might 
be  saved." 


As  well  attempt  to  describe  in  words  all  the 
mysteries  of  light  and  shade  which  are  hidden 


278  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

in  the  incalculable  movements  and  changes 
of  the  clouds.  A  strong  metaphor  is  that 
which  represents  the  personality  of  "that 
Wicked."  The  deepest  mysteries  of  God  can 
only  be  hinted  at  by  strong  metaphors  and 
graphic  analogies.  The  "Wicked"  has  been 
seen  through  many  ages  by  the  spiritual 
intuition  of  the  sons  of  God.  "The  beast  was 
slain,  and  his  body  destroyed  and  given  to 
the  burning  flame."  But  never  has  the 
"Wicked"  been  represented  as  greater  than 
God.  The  existence  of  the  "Wicked"  has 
not  been  denied,  but  the  Spirit  and  power  of 
God  have  been  set  in  glorious  contrast  to  all 
that  is  called  evil  and  destructive.  History 
is  the  thrilling  record  of  the  perpetual  contest 
between  light  and  darkness,  truth  and  false- 
hood, heaven  and  hell.  God  ultimately 
prevails.  "The  word  of  God  is  quick,  and 
powerful,  and  sharper  than  any  two-edged 
sword,  piercing  even  to  the  dividing  asunder 
of  soul  and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and 
marrow,  and  is  a  discerner  of  the  thoughts 
and  intents  of  the  heart"  (Heb.  iv.  12). 
Who  can  stand  before  Him  whose  name  is 
"Faithful   and   True,"    whose   eyes   are   as 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       279 

a  flame  of  fire,  on  whose  head  are  many 
crowns,  and  whose  written  name  no  man  but 
Himself  can  read?  The  Bible  is  full  of 
assurance  that  God,  and  not  the  devil,  shall 
ultimately  prevail.  The  great  spirit  of 
Victory  is  clothed  with  a  vesture  dipped  in 
blood,  and  is  followed  by  the  armies  of 
heaven  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean. 
"Out  of  His  mouth  goeth  a  sharp  sword,  that 
with  it  He  should  smite  the  nations."  Let 
there  be  no  mistake  about  this  whole  matter: 
the  evil  will  come,  the  " Wicked"  will  be 
revealed,  the  mystery  of  iniquity  will  work, 
and  the  son  of  perdition  shall  be  recognised. 
Our  trust  is  in  the  Lord  who  came  from 
Sinai,  and  rose  up  from  Seir:  the  Lord  who 
shone  from  Mount  Paran,  who  came  with  ten 
thousands  of  saints,  and  out  of  whose  right 
hand  there  went  a  fiery  law.  In  what 
sanctuaries  of  rock  has  the  Lord  hidden  His 
people?  He  has  housed  them  in  the  granite 
and  set  around  them  flaming  swords.  "He 
shall  smite  the  earth  with  the  rod  of  His 
mouth,  and  with  the  breath  of  His  lips 
shall  He  slay  the  wicked."  They  who  fight 
against   God   shall   be   trodden   under   foot 


280  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

and   their  dust   shall  be   thrown  upon  the 
stornry  wind. 

Note  in  verse  10  the  striking  expression 
"  deceivableness  of  unrighteousness."  Note 
the  charge  that  is  brought  against  the  evil- 
minded:  "They  received  not  the  love  of  the 
truth."  Observe  what  gracious  opportunities 
had  been  created  for  them,  and  the  Lord  had 
brought  them  His  Gospel,  so  to  say,  with  His 
own  lips:  "This  is  the  condemnation,  that 
light  is  come  into  the  world,  and  men  loved 
darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their 
deeds  were  evil"  (John  hi.  19). 


Verses  11,  12:  "And  for  this  cause  God  shall 
send  them  strong  delusion,  that  they  should  believe 
a  lie:  that  they  all  might  be  damned  who  believed 
not  the  truth,  but  had  pleasure  in  unrighteousness." 


This  is  one  of  the  most  solemn  mysteries 
of  life.  Observe  that  God  states  the  cause 
of  His  action.  He  had  to  deal  with  the  very 
spirit  of  evil.  The  utmost  cunning  and  false- 
hood of  the  spirit  of  wickedness  had  to  be 
encountered  and  destroyed.  God  has  been 
so  provoked  in  His  people  that  in  the  very 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       281 

act  of  answering  their  prayers  He  has  de- 
stroyed their  souls.  "My  people  would  not 
hearken  to  My  voice;  and  Israel  would  none 
of  me."  What  was  the  result  of  such  re- 
bellion? God  gave  them  up  unto  their  own 
hearts'  lust,  and  they  walked  in  their  own 
counsels.  This  has  always  been  the  course 
which  even  the  divine  mercy  has  pursued. 
God's  Spirit  did  not  always  strive  with  men; 
He  retired,  as  it  were,  baffled  and  disappointed. 
Nevertheless  God's  judgment  prevailed  where 
His  Spirit  was  quenched.  "As  they  did  not 
like  to  retain  God  in  their  knowledge,  God 
gave  them  over  to  a  reprobate  mind"  (Rom. 
i.  28).  There  is  no  punishment  so  incon- 
ceivably appalling  as  that  man  should  be 
brought  under  the  dominion  of  strong  de- 
lusions. This  is  lunacy  of  the  most  appalling 
sort.  Let  us  pray  God  to  keep  us  out  of 
such  intolerable  darkness!  To  believe  that 
wrong  is  right,  to  believe  that  blasphemy  is 
prayer,  to  regard  the  rising  of  the  sun  as 
the  reign  of  darkness — what  can  be  more 
terrible,  what  can  be  more  like  the  horrors 
of  perdition !  Oh  that  my  mind  may  be  kept 
simple,    childlike,    ever   trustful   in   God!     I 


282  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

have  heard  that  God  may  grant  a  man  the 
desire  of  his  heart  and  then  send  leanness 
upon  his  soul.  Oh  that  God  would  take  the 
evil  out  of  my  prayers,  the  selfishness  out  of 
my  aspirations,  the  falsehood  out  of  my  vows! 

Verse  13:  "But  we  are  bound  to  give  thanks 
alway  to  God  for  you,  brethren  beloved  of  the  Lord, 
because  God  hath  from  the  beginning  chosen  you  to 
salvation  through  sanctification  of  the  Spirit  and 
belief  of  the  truth." 

Amid  all  the  clouds  there  is  one  speck  of 
blue!  However  many  may  be  the  enemies 
gathered  in  anger  and  hate  around  the  cross 
of  Christ,  there  are  some  steadfast  hearts 
who  love  the  Christ  and  will  not  forsake 
the  standard.  This  is  the  miracle  of  God. 
This  is  no  mere  fancy-work  on  the  part  of 
the  Thessalonian  believers;  it  is  the  per- 
fecting of  a  divine  purpose.  The  Apostle 
in  his  first  letter  gives  the  true  key  to  the 
meaning  of  his  congratulation  and  confidence : 
"Knowing,  brethren  beloved,  your  election 
of  God."  The  Apostle  would  never  have  it 
that  things  come  and  go  within  some  small 
circle  of  their  own,  nor  would  he  for  a  moment 
tolerate  the  doctrine  that  the  Church  is  left 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       283 

at  the  mercy  of  whims,  inventions,  and  clever 
conjectures  of  men.  This  is  the  true  explana- 
tion: "He  hath  chosen  us  in  Him  before 
the  foundation  of  the  world,  that  we  should 
be  holy  and  without  blame  before  Him  in 
love"  (Eph.  i.  4).  Christians  are  not  mere 
accidents;  faith  is  no  straw  blown  about  by 
shifting  winds.  "Whom  He  did  predestinate, 
them  He  also  called:  and  whom  He  called, 
them  He  also  justified :  and  whom  He  justified, 
them  He  also  glorified"  (Rom.  viii.  29,  30). 
How  this  explanation  covers  the  whole  ground 
and  fills  the  whole  firmament  with  morning 
light !  The  Apostle  does  not  praise  the  Thes- 
salonians — he  praises  God.  He  thanks  God 
for  the  Thessalonians  as  he  might  thank  God 
for  an  abundant  harvest.  The  sinner  is  saved 
by  grace — in  grace  he  must  stand.  No  other 
lamp  can  light  him  through  the  wilderness; 
no  other  power  can  bear  him  through  the 
swellings  of  Jordan. 

Verse  14:  "Whereunto  he  called  you  by  our 
gospel,  to  the  obtaining  of  the  glory  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ." 

The  consummation  of  freedom  and  blessed- 
ness is  traced  to  the  Gospel.     First  the  law, 


284  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

then  the  love,  then  the  glory!  We  have  to 
make  our  calling  and  election  sure.  "Let 
every  one  that  nameth  the  name  of  Christ 
depart  from  iniquity."  Discipleship  must 
always  carry  its  own  broad  and  decisive 
proofs.  "Walk  worthy  of  God,  who  hath 
called  you  unto  His  kingdom  and  glory."  Do 
not  so  much  tell  people  that  you  are  called 
unto  eternal  glory  by  Christ  Jesus  as  live 
in  such  a  manner  that  they  themselves  will 
be  constrained  to  acknowledge  that  within 
you  and  behind  you  is  the  whole  strength 
of  God.  Observe  what  it  is  to  which  the 
Thessalonians  were  called.  That  is  given  in 
verse  13:  "chosen  you  to  salvation  through 
sanctification  of  the  Spirit  and  belief  of  the 
truth."  Holiness  is  the  best  defence  of 
Christianity.  Words  are  poor  compared  with 
the  evidence  of  a  pure,  true,  simple,  tender 
love. 


Verse  15:  "Therefore,  brethren,  stand  fast,  and 
hold  the  traditions  which  ye  have  been  taught, 
whether  by  word,  or  our  epistle." 

This  is  the  point  to  which  it  all  comes: 
"Stand  fast."     This  is  a  favourite  term  with 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       285 

the  Apostle.  It  is  full  of  military  fire  and 
precision.  The  Apostle  uses  the  word  in  the 
First  Epistle  and  in  the  Second  Epistle,  so 
that  there  might  be  no  mistake  about  the 
austerity  and  the  soldierly  command.  The 
Apostle  used  the  same  term  in  writing  to 
the  Corinthians:  " Watch  ye,  stand  fast  in 
the  faith,  quit  you  like  men,  be  strong."  The 
same  term  is  used  in  the  letter  to  the 
Philippians:  "My  brethren  dearly  beloved 
and  longed  for,  my  joy  and  crown,  so  stand 
fast  in  the  Lord,  my  dearly  beloved."  There 
must  be  no  wavering.  On  all  moral  questions 
and  in  all  moral  conduct  men  must  know 
where  to  find  the  Christian.  He  abides  by 
the  law  of  Christ  and  works  out  that  law 
in  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  so  that  there  can  be  no 
mistake  as  to  the  tone  of  his  mind  and  the 
meaning  of  his  actions. 

Verses  16,  17:  ''Now  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  Him- 
self, and  God,  even  our  Father,  which  hath  loved  us, 
and  hath  given  us  everlasting  consolation  and  good 
hope  through  grace,  comfort  your  hearts,  and  stablish 
you  in  every  good  word  and  work." 

The  Apostle  would  comfort  the  Thessalo- 
nians  with  an  infinite  fulness  of  consolation. 


286  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

The  Lord  works  in  His  people  the  virtue  of 
steadfastness.  We  stand  fast  as  a  reward  of 
our  prayers  and  a  daily  sealing  of  our 
adoption  into  the  family  of  God.  The  Apostle 
takes  the  Thessalonians  to  a  broad,  deep, 
overflowing  river,  and  tells  them  that  the 
mighty  stream  is  but  a  poor  symbol  of  the 
greater  river  which  takes  its  rise  in  the  heart 
of  God.  The  stars  are  not  so  sure  in  their 
places  as  are  the  souls  that  stand  fast  in 
the  faith  and  comfort  of  the  Gospel.  "Unto 
Him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our 
sins  in  His  own  blood,"  be  the  glory  of  our 
steadfastness.  Once  more  the  Apostle  con- 
ducts the  Thessalonians  to  the  true  sanctuary 
and  to  its  inmost  altar  red  with  love-speaking 
blood,  and  above  it  the  guarding  seraphim. 
"Hope  maketh  not  ashamed ;  because  the  love 
of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  which  is  given  unto  us."  When 
the  Apostle  Paul  speaks  of  comfort  he  speaks 
in  the  very  tone  of  his  Master  and  Lord: 
"Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled:  ye  believe 
in  God,  believe  also  in  me."  We  must  be 
stablished  in  every  good  word  and  work;  we 
may  reverse  the  terms,  and  say,  "in  every 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       287 

good  work  and  word."  The  Apostle  desires 
no  human  comfort  for  faithful  but  perse- 
cuted souls;  he  commits  such  souls  to 
"the  Father  of  mercies,  and  the  God  of  all 
comfort."  The  Apostle  has  no  doubt  of  the 
great  issue;  the  sons  of  God  shall  be 
brought  in  triumph  and  in  completeness  to 
the  sanctuary  which  is  above.  God  will  lose 
none  from  His  holy  keeping.  "He  shall  also 
confirm  you  unto  the  end,  that  ye  may  be 
blameless  in  the  day  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  Sooner  shall  the  enemy  tear  up  the 
mountains  and  scatter  the  very  stars  of  night 
than  he  shall  unsettle  the  souls  stablished  in 
grace  and  fortified  by  the  living  Word.  "If 
God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us?"  "If, 
when  we  were  enemies,  we  were  reconciled  to 
God  by  the  death  of  His  Son,  much  more, 
being  reconciled,  we  shall  be  saved  by  His 
life."  The  persecutors  are  many,  the  tempta- 
tions are  manifold,  the  fiery  darts  come  down 
upon  us  in  showers — and  yet  greater  is  He 
that  is  with  us  than  any  who  can  be  against 
us.  Though  for  Christ's  sake  we  are  killed 
all  the  day  long,  and  are  counted  as  sheep  for 
the   slaughter,   yet   in   all   these   things   are 


288  SECOND  EPISTLE  THESSALONIANS 

we  more  than  conquerors  through  Him  that 
loved  us.  Let  us  sing  our  song  of  faith  and 
hope  so  loudly  that  even  the  enemy  may  hear 
it  and  may  be  discouraged  because  of  our 
daily  access  of  confidence  in  God. 


CHAPTER  III 

Verse  1 :  "  Finally,  brethren,  pray  for  us,  that 
the  word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course,  and  be 
glorified,  even  as  it  is  with  you." 

SO  the  less  may  serve  the  greater.  Only 
the  most  deeply  experienced  can  set  a 
proper  value  upon  the  efficacy  of  prayer. 
Science  is  daily  teaching  us  that  the  voice 
produces  wonderful  effects  upon  the  air  and 
upon  natural  substances,  so  much  so  that  the 
sound  of  the  voice  can  change  the  colour  and 
the  form  of  things.  We  have  never  brought 
our  conception  of  prayer  within  the  possibility 
of  such  definite  influence.  Apply  the  teach- 
ing of  science  to  the  doctrine  of  prayer.  Who 
knows  what  miracles  are  being  wrought  upon 
natural  substances,  upon  the  hearts  of  others, 
upon  the  heart  of  God,  by  incessant  and 
fervent  prayer?  The  Apostle  Paul  loved  to 
be  prayed  for,  and  in  thus  beseeching  the 

289  19 


290  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

churches  to  remember  him  in  intercession  he 
almost  invested  the  humblest  member  of  the 
household  of  Christ  with  a  new  function  and 
a  special  ministry.  The  Apostle  did  not 
deign  to  disregard  the  prayers  of  the  poorest 
for  his  own  personal  protection  and  comfort, 
but  he  specially  desired  the  supplication  of 
the  saints  on  behalf  of  the  Gospel  itself,  that 
it  might  spread  over  all  the  world.  He 
would  have  all  people  be,  as  it  were,  re- 
productions of  the  Thessalonians,  who  had 
provided  an  open  door  for  the  evangelical 
message,  and  had  in  their  own  persons  so 
glowingly  illustrated  the  power  of  the  Gospel 
that  others  might  reproduce  the  Thessalonian 
example,  and  rest  sure  that  in  going  in  the 
direction  of  the  Thessalonians  they  were 
pursuing  the  right  way.  What  a  tribute 
was  this  to  the  excellence  of  the  Thessalonian 
Christians!  How  the  Apostle  Paul  delighted 
in  the  practice  of  prayer  and  in  enjoining  it 
upon  the  churches!  " Praying  always  with 
all  prayer  and  supplication  in  the  Spirit,  and 
watching  thereunto  with  all  perseverance  and 
supplication  for  all  saints"  (Eph.  vi.  18). 
"Be  careful  for  nothing;  but  in  every  thing 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       291 

by  prayer  and  supplication  with  thanksgiving 
let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God" 
(Phil.  iv.  6).  To  the  Thessalonians  he  said, 
"Pray  without  ceasing"  (1  Thess.  v.  17). 
Jesus  Christ  Himself  had  enjoined  upon  His 
disciples  the  duty  of  prayer:  "Men  ought 
always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint"  (Luke 
xviii.  1).  "Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter 
not  into  temptation"  (Matt.  xxvi.  41). 
"Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest, 
that  He  will  send  forth  labourers  into  His 
harvest"  (Matt.  ix.  38).  The  Apostle  had 
confidence  that  by  the  prayers  of  the  saints 
his  ministry  would  be  brought  to  the  highest 
issues:  "Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  for 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  sake,  and  for  the  love 
of  the  Spirit,  that  ye  strive  together  with 
me  in  your  prayers  to  God  for  me"  (Rom. 
xv.  30).  In  writing  to  the  Colossians  he 
desired  a  special  interest  in  their  prayers  for 
the  same  purpose:  "Praying  also  for  us,  that 
God  would  open  unto  us  a  door  of  utterance, 
to  speak  of  the  mystery  of  Christ"  (Col.  iv.  3). 
If  a  great  man  like  the  Apostle  Paul  could 
not  dispense  with  the  prayers  of  Christians, 
ought  not  I  to  encourage  the  offering  of  such 


292  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

prayers  on  my  own  account?  When  men  pray 
for  their  ministers  they  cannot  undervalue 
their  labours.  They  should  regard  such 
labours  as  an  answer  to  their  own  prayers. 
Having  sown  the  seed  of  prayer,  they  should 
expect  the  harvest  of  profitable  service. 

Verse  2:  "And  that  we  may  be  delivered  from 
unreasonable  and  wicked  men:  for  all  men  have  not 
faith." 

The  term  "unreasonable"  does  not  refer 
so  much  to  its  intellectual  aspects  as  to  some 
species  of  moral  deformity.  We  might  read, 
that  we  may  be  delivered  from  "  monstrous 
men" — men  whose  excited  and  exaggerated 
notion  of  things  disturbs  the  steady  flow  of 
honest  service.  You  may  injure  the  reputa- 
tion of  a  minister  in  a  foolish  attempt  to 
exaggerate  it.  By  irrationally  exciting  ex- 
pectation men  do  but  encourage  disappoint- 
ment. We  are  to  expect  from  our  ministers 
the  best  their  abilities  can  render,  but  we 
have  not  any  right  to  exact  from  them 
monstrous,  exaggerated,  and  fantastic  service. 
The  Apostle  reminds  the  Thessalonians  that 
all  men  have  not  faith.     Even  some  who 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       293 

profess  to  be  Christians  may  be  only  intellec- 
tualists,  or  theorists,  or  inventors  of  fables. 
Where  there  is  true  faith  there  will  be 
gravity  and  soberness  of  expectation.  "By 
grace  are  ye  saved  through  faith;  and  that 
not  of  yourselves:  it  is  the  gift  of  God" 
(Eph.  ii.  8). 

Verse   3:    "But   the   Lord   is   faithful,    who    shall 
stablish  you,  and  keep  you  from  evil." 

That  is  the  sanctuary  in  which  the  soul 
must  live.  We  must  not  look  to  the  pro- 
visions of  man,  but  to  the  statutes  and 
promises  of  God.  We  live  within  the  fortress 
of  a  divine  covenant.  Look  at  the  strength 
of  the  walls  which  surround  the  soul!  We 
do  not  make  our  own  security;  our  builder 
and  maker  is  God.  "God  is  faithful,  who 
will  not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above  that 
ye  are  able;  but  will  with  the  temptation 
also  make  a  way  to  escape,  that  ye  may  be 
able  to  bear  it"  (1  Cor.  x.  13).  Do  not  look 
at  your  own  resources,  do  not  dwell  upon 
your  own  infirmities:  look  unto  the  hills 
whence  cometh  your  help;  your  help  cometh 
from  the  Lord  of  hosts,  and  you  know  how 


294  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

great  is  His  strength,  for  He  made  heaven 
and  earth.  "The  Lord  knoweth  how  to 
deliver  the  godly  out  of  temptations,  and  to 
reserve  the  unjust  unto  the  day  of  judgment 
to  be  punished  "  (2  Peter  ii.  9) .  The  soul  of  the 
believer  is  as  a  city  guarded  by  impregnable 
rocks.  He  may  have  dark  days,  and  days  of 
storm,  and  times  of  mental  depression,  never- 
theless the  foundation  of  God  standeth  sure, 
having  this  seal,  "  the  Lord  knoweth  them  that 
are  His."  Under  such  circumstances  persecu- 
tion itself  brings  with  it  a  kind  of  joy,  for  it 
reveals  the  infinite  resources,  the  unsearch- 
able riches,  available  to  the  Christian.  Not 
until  we  have  exhausted  God  need  we  give 
ourselves  up  to  the  darkness  of  despair. 

Verses  4,  5:  "And  we  have  confidence  in  the 
Lord  touching  you,  that  ye  both  do  and  will  do  the 
things  which  we  command  you.  And  the  Lord  direct 
your  hearts  into  the  love  of  God,  and  into  the  patient 
waiting  for  Christ." 

Encouragement  upon  encouragement !  God 
Himself  gives  rich  consolation  by  the  way,  as 
if  to  make  heaven  itself  less  and  less  of  a 
surprise  to  the  chastened  and  sanctified  soul. 
"The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love."     "Praying 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       295 

in  the  Holy  Ghost,  keep  yourselves  in  the 
love  of  God."  How  we  must  persevere! 
"Do  and  will  do"  is  a  wonderful  word  of 
encouragement.  Always  remember  that  the 
King  is  coming  nearer  and  nearer:  "The 
Lord  will  suddenly  come  to  His  temple" — 
suddenly,  that  is,  to  our  ignorance,  but  not 
suddenly  in  His  own  slowly  developing 
purpose.  "Be  patient  therefore,  brethren, 
unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord.  Behold,  the 
husbandman  waiteth  for  the  precious  fruit  of 
the  earth,  and  hath  long  patience  for  it,  until 
he  receive  the  early  and  latter  rain.  Be  ye 
also  patient;  stablish  your  hearts:  for  the 
coming  of  the  Lord  draweth  nigh"  (James  v. 
7,  8).  The  Christian  has  all  history  to  fall 
back  upon  in  illustration  of  the  divine  Spirit 
and  the  divine  method  in  personal  and  uni- 
versal providence:  "Take,  my  brethren,  the 
prophets,  who  have  spoken  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  for  an  example  of  suffering  afflic- 
tion, and  of  patience"  (James  v.  10).  The 
people  of  God  have  never  hesitated  to  confess 
that  affliction  has  been  good  for  them  and  that 
loss  has  been  turned  into  gain.  The  Psalmist 
said,    "Blessed    is    the    man    whom    Thou 


296  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

chastenest,  O  Lord,  and  teachest  him  out  of 
Thy  law"  (Ps.  xciv.  12).  Jesus  Christ  said, 
"Ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  my  name's 
sake:  but  he  that  endureth  to  the  end  shall 
be  saved"  (Matt.  x.  22).  The  Apostle  Paul 
himself  said,  "To  them  who  by  patient 
continuance  in  well  doing  seek  for  glory 
and  honour  and  immortality,  eternal  life" 
(Rom.  ii.  7).  There  are  some  men  in  whom 
we  have  such  confidence  that  if  they  were  to 
give  way  or  in  any  degree  succumb  to  the 
evil  one,  we  should  feel  that  the  very  founda- 
tions of  society  were  shaken.  It  was  some 
such  confidence  that  the  Apostle  Paul  had 
in  the  Thessalonian  Christians:  "We  have 
confidence."  What  a  tribute,  what  an  expec- 
tation, what  a  responsibility!  Yet  all  this 
confidence  is  "in  the  Lord."  This  is  not 
merely  a  personal  confidence;  it  is  a 
recognition  of  the  divine  grace  in  believing 
hearts.  May  God  make  us  as  trustees  of  His 
Word,  stewards  of  His  mysteries,  written 
epistle  of  His  election  and  His  love!  There 
is  a  silent  preaching,  an  eloquent  experi- 
ence, a  daily,  simple,  incorruptible  faith- 
fulness. 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        297 

Verse  6:  "Now  we  command  you,  brethren,  in 
the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  ye  withdraw 
yourselves  from  every  brother  that  walketh  disorderly, 
and  not  after  the  tradition  which  he  received  of  us." 

Even  the  best  of  men  may  be  tainted  by 
the  near  approach  of  those  who  are  evil- 
minded:  "Evil  communications  corrupt  good 
manners."  Let  us  cut  ourselves  off  from 
all  persons  who  are  light-minded,  or  whose 
hearts  incline  them  to  vanity  rather  than  to 
prayer:  "I  have  written  unto  you  not  to 
keep  company,  if  any  man  that  is  called  a 
brother  be  a  fornicator,  or  covetous,  or  an 
idolator,  or  a  railer,  or  a  drunkard,  or  an 
extortioner;  with  such  an  one  no  not  to  eat. 
.  .  .  Them  that  are  without  God  judgeth. 
Therefore  put  away  from  among  yourselves 
that  wicked  person "  (1  Cor.  v.  11,  13).  If  a 
limb  is  mortified,  it  must  be  cut  off.  If  thy 
right  hand  offend  thee,  cut  it  off;  or  thy 
right  eye,  pluck  it  out.  "I  beseech  you, 
brethren,  mark  them  which  cause  divisions 
and  offences  contrary  to  the  doctrine  which  ye 
have  learned;  and  avoid  them"  (Rom.  xvi. 
17). 

Verses  7-10:  "For  yourselves  know  how  ye  ought 
to  follow  us:  for  we  behaved  not  ourselves  disorderly 


298  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

among  you;  neither  did  we  eat  any  man's  bread 
for  nought;  but  wrought  with  labour  and  travail 
night  and  day,  that  we  might  not  be  chargeable  to 
any  of  you:  not  because  we  have  not  power,  but 
to  make  ourselves  an  example  unto  you  to  follow 
us.  For  even  when  we  were  with  you,  this  we 
commanded  you,  that  if  any  would  not  work,  neither 
should  he  eat." 


There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  austerity 
of  apostolic  discipline.  One  of  the  virtues 
which  is  less  prominent  in  the  Church  than 
in  ancient  days  is  the  virtue  of  discipline. 
The  apostles  were  able  to  point  to  themselves 
as  illustrations  of  their  own  doctrine.  Already 
the  Apostle  had  said  to  the  Thessalonians, 
"Ye  are  witnesses,  and  God  also,  how  holily 
and  justly  and  unblameably  we  behaved  our- 
selves among  you  that  believe"  (1  Thess.  ii. 
10).  The  apostles  did  not  make  a  livelihood 
out  of  the  Gospel;  they  were  hard-working 
men.  Hard  work  is  one  of  the  securities 
of  society,  and  certainly  it  is  one  of  the 
defences  of  the  Church.  "Ye  yourselves 
know,  that  these  hands  have  ministered 
unto  my  necessities,  and  to  them  that  were 
with  me"  (Acts  xx.  34).  The  apostles 
taught  the  doctrine  that  the  labourer  was 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS       299 

worthy  of  his  hire,  and  yet  there  were  cir- 
cumstances under  which  they  preferred  to 
labour  with  their  own  hands.  "  Nevertheless 
we  have  not  used  this  power;  but  suffer  all 
things,  lest  we  should  hinder  the  gospel  of 
Christ."  The  Saviour  Himself  laid  down 
the  doctrine,  "The  workman  is  worthy  of 
his  meat."  Yet  there  were  times  when  the 
apostles  endeavoured  to  avert  misconstruction 
by  trusting  to  their  own  hands  rather  than 
to  alms  to  which  they  were  rightly  entitled. 
"When  I  was  present  with  you,  and  wanted, 
I  was  chargeable  to  no  man. . . .  But  what  I  do, 
that  I  will  do,  that  I  may  cut  off  occasion 
from  them  which  desire  occasion"  (2  Cor.  xi. 
9,  12).  The  Apostle  had  a  clear  doctrine  of 
socialism,  and  that  doctrine  should  be  more 
broadly  and  energetically  declared  to-day: 
"We  commanded  you,  that  if  any  would  not 
work,  neither  should  he  eat."  The  Apostle 
believed  in  a  man  earning  his  own  daily 
bread.  He  neither  believed  in  stealing  nor 
in  indiscriminate  almsgiving.  "Let  him  that 
stole  steal  no  more :  but  rather  let  him  labour, 
working  with  his  hands  the  thing  which  is 
good,  that  he  may  have  to  give  to  him  that 


300  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE 

needeth"  (Eph.  iv.  28).  We  should  not  live 
on  the  alms  of  others;  we  should  so  work 
that  we  may  be  able  to  give  alms  to  persons 
who  know  the  bitterness  of  poverty. 

Verses  11,  12:  "For  we  hear  that  there  are  some 
which  walk  among  you  disorderly,  working  not  at 
all,  but  are  busybodies.  Now  them  that  are  such  we 
command  and  exhort  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that 
with  quietness  they  work,  and  eat  their  own  bread." 

The  Apostle  was  no  inattentive  observer 
of  the  moral  faithfulness  of  the  churches. 
He  had  heard  of  the  busybodies — that  is,  of 
persons  who  were  hostile  to  society  and  who 
wished  to  have  all  things  without  working 
for  any  of  them.  A  man  who  is  not  willing 
to  work  for  what  he  eats  is  in  spirit  an 
anarchist,  an  enemy  of  social  law  and  order, 
and  as  such  should  be  expelled  from  the 
confidence  of  the  society  he  would  destroy. 
Christianity  has  its  quiet  service.  We  are 
not  all  called  to  public  life,  to  bear  the  light 
of  high  noon.  "  Study  to  be  quiet,  and  to  do 
your  own  business,  and  to  work  with  your 
own  hands." 

Verses  13-15:  "But  ye,  brethren,  be  not  weary 
in  well  doing.     And  if  any  man  obey  not  our  word 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        301 

by  this  epistle,  note  that  man,  and  have  no  company 
with  him,  that  he  may  be  ashamed.  Yet  count  him 
not  as  an  enemy,  but  admonish  him  as  a  brother." 

Be  not  weary  in  civility,  in  courtesy,  in 
well-pleasing.  The  Apostle  had  given  the 
same  instructions  in  his  Epistle  to  the 
Galatians:  "Let  us  not  be  weary  in  well 
doing:  for  in  due  season  we  shall  reap,  if  we 
faint  not"  (Gal.  vi.  9).  There  is  a  well-doing 
that  is  severe  in  its  faithfulness,  and  there  is 
another  well-doing  which,  without  abating 
anything  of  its  austerity,  is  gracious,  cour- 
teous, considerate  of  the  rights  and  liberties  of 
others.  The  Apostles  did  not  write  letters 
merely  as  friendly  correspondents ;  they  wrote 
in  an  official  capacity  expressing  the  inspira- 
tion with  which  God  by  His  Holy  Spirit  had 
filled  their  hearts.  "This  epistle"  is  not 
a  mere  friendly  note — it  comes  with  all  the 
authority  of  apostolic  office  and  experience. 
There  is  a  time  when  evil  desires  must  be  cut 
off.  There  is  an  hour  in  which  we  must  bid 
farewell  to  those  who  have  sought  to  seduce 
us  from  obedience  to  the  Gospel.  Yet  in  all 
this  process  of  excision  there  is  to  be  nothing 
of  hatred  or  bitterness.     The  true  thought 


302  THE  SECOND   EPISTLE 

was  expressed  even  in  the  Levitical  law, 
"Thou  shalt  not  hate  thy  brother  in  thine 
heart:  thou  shalt  in  any  wise  rebuke  thy 
neighbour,  and  not  suffer  sin  upon  him" 
(Lev.  xix.  17).  How  wondrously  judgment 
was  mingled  with  mercy  in  these  apostolic 
expositions  and  applications  of  Christian 
discipline!  "Brethren,  if  a  man  be  overtaken 
in  a  fault,  ye  which  are  spiritual,  restore  such 
an  one  in  the  spirit  of  meekness;  considering 
thyself,  lest  thou  also  be  tempted"  (Gal. 
vi.  1). 


Verses  16-18:  "Now  the  Lord  of  peace  Himself 
give  you  peace  always  by  all  means.  The  Lord  be 
with  you  all.  The  salutation  of  Paul  with  mine  own 
hand,  which  is  the  token  in  every  epistle:  so  I  write. 
The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all. 
Amen." 


Back  again  to  God!  Another  word  for 
God!  Another  commendation  to  the  Lord! 
More  and  more  blessing  from  on  high!  "Live 
in  peace ;  and  the  God  of  love  and  peace  shall 
be  with  you"  (2  Cor.  xiii.  11).  Recall  the 
great  benediction,  "The  Lord  bless  thee,  and 
keep  thee:  the  Lord  make  His  face  shine 
upon  thee,  and  be  gracious  unto  thee :  the  Lord 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS        303 

lift  up  His  countenance  upon  thee,  and  give 
thee  peace"  (Num.  vi.  24-26).  Live  in  that 
crystal  sanctuary — get  into  the  center  of  that 
ineffable  peace,  and  the  enemy  shall  have 
no  power  to  imperil  the  soul.  More  peace 
to  you,  and  more!  May  the  Lord  make  the 
walls  of  your  security  sevenfold  in  thickness! 
May  He  so  found  you  upon  the  rock  of  His 
own  grace  that  the  gates  of  hell  may  not 
prevail  against  you!  Another  salutation — 
with  this  rugged  hand  of  mine — another 
sweet  prayer  for  your  comfort  and  joy! 
Silver  and  gold  have  I  none,  but  the  Lord 
has  made  me  strong  in  prayer,  and  has 
gathered  me  very  closely  within  the  folds 
of  His  own  heart,  and  from  that,  the  best 
of  all  environments,  I  say  again  and  finally, 
The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with 
you  all. 


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The  Epistles  to  the  Colossians  and 

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1   1012  00029  7178 


